Literary Historicism: Conquest and Revolution in the Works of Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) and Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) Sandra Liliana Velásquez-Alford King’s College November 2017 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy THESIS TITLE Literary Historicism: Conquest and Revolution in the Works of Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012) and Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) ABSTRACT This doctoral thesis analyses the depiction of the historical topics of Conquest and Revolution across the literary writings of Alejo Carpentier (1904-1980) and Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012). These historical tropes constitute core topics of reflection throughout their literary and critical works, stressing the interplay between literature and history. I propose the concept literary historicism to analyse their portrayal of historical topics and characterise the role of history in their poetics. This concept denotes the historical awareness that underpins the authors’ literary reinterpretations of historical events; their use of a historicist writing methodology; and the critical relationship established to historiographical sources and narratives. I argue that the authors’ deliberate historicism characterises their narratives, challenges disciplinary boundaries and posits literature as an alternative medium for the production of historical interpretation. This comparative study focuses on a corpus of fifteen fictional works from both authors that depict Conquest and Revolution. The first section analyses the authors’ literary portrayal of the Conquest of Mexico (1521) and stresses the relationship established to the historical sources consulted and their literary reinterpretation of this historical event. An assessment of the reflections and symbolisms embodied by their literary-historical figures elucidates the authors’ understanding of the Conquest. Thus, this section demonstrates the defining character of these authors’ literary historicism in their writing methodology and semantic interpretation when addressing historical tropes. The second section explores Fuentes’s and Carpentier’s depiction of historical Revolutions including the French, Mexican, Haitian and Cuban Revolutions. This section comprises a transversal and diachronic analysis of their Revolution cycles to demonstrate recurrent narrative, thematic and stylistic patterns in Fuentes’s and Carpentier’s literary portrayals of this historical phenomenon. I highlight the further meaning that these patterns acquire in their works, articulating a critical assessment of these historical revolutions. This thesis adds to the scholarship on these authors from an interdisciplinary perspective that re- centres attention on History. Through the concept of Literary Historicism, I demonstrate the existence of a central concern in their oeuvres to critically reassess the Latin American past and its historical interpretations from literary discourse. This study contributes to the understanding of history and literature in Latin America, for it analyses the interactions between these branches of written culture. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A PhD thesis is the end result of a long personal and academic journey, and perhaps the start of another one. I have been very fortunate to come across many people that have enriched mine and helped me grow personally and academically in the last few years. In fact, this research would not have been possible without the direct and, often indirect, support of my colleagues, friends and family. For this reason, I would like to thank the people that have contributed, in one way or another, to the development of this thesis. I want to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Professor Steven Boldy for all his advice, support and patience during the development of this research and, in general, throughout these years. As always, I include a warm-hearted thanks to Sergio Mejía without whom I would not be where I am today. I extend my regards to The Cambridge Trusts for giving me the opportunity to pursue my PhD at Cambridge. I would also like to thank King’s College, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Centre of Latin American Studies for their support in the last few years and for the creation of spaces of dialogue and collaboration across the University. Julie Coimbra, Coral Neale, Chriselia de Vries and James Clements probably do not realise how important they have been for the completion of this research project, and indeed many others. Special thanks should be given to André Ribeiro, Shachi Amdekar and Rachell Sánchez-Rivera for their love, time and help from the start. Finally, I thank my family for their encouragement throughout my life and studies. This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Preface and specified in the text It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee. The number of words in this dissertation is 79, 448 Sandra Liliana Velásquez Alford Cambridge 29th November 2017 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 3 1. 1. Theoretical Framework........................................................................................................... 5 1. 2. On Literary Historicism ........................................................................................................ 10 1. 3. Literature Review ................................................................................................................. 12 1. 4. Carlos Fuentes and ‘La edad del Tiempo’ ............................................................................ 15 1. 5. Alejo Carpentier Between Lo Real Maravilloso and El Barroco Americano ....................... 17 1. 6. Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 20 1. 7. Structure ............................................................................................................................... 21 First Section: The Conquest in the Writings of Carlos Fuentes and Alejo Carpentier ................ 24 2. Colonial, Republican and Post-Revolutionary Historiography on the Conquest ................. 24 2. 1. 1. Colonial Historiography (1492-1810): Political Rhetoric of the Conquest ..................... 25 2. 1. 2. Republican Historiography (1810-1910): the Intensification of the Black Legend .......... 27 2. 1. 3. The Influence of the Mexican Revolution in Twentieth-Century Histories (1910-1960) 28 2. 2. The Method of Literary Historicism in Carlos Fuentes’s Depiction of the Conquest ...... 29 2. 2. 1. The Historical Substratum of El naranjo and Todos los gatos son pardos ..................... 32 2. 2. 2. The Vision of the Vanquished in Todos los gatos son pardos ........................................ 37 2. 2. 3. Polyphony and Heteroglossia in ‘Los hijos del conquistador’ ........................................ 41 2. 2. 4. La Recuperación de la Palabra: Convergence and Divergence from Sources .................. 47 2. 3. The Semantic Aspects of Carlos Fuentes’s Literary Historicism: Characters and Symbolism in El naranjo and Todos los gatos son pardos. ........................................................... 49 2. 3. 1. The ‘Tongues’: Jerónimo de Aguilar, Marina and the Power of Language .................... 50 2. 3. 2. Hernando Cortés and Doña Marina: a New Foundational Myth for Modern Mexico..... 54 2. 3. 3. Martín Cortés or The First Generation of Mexicans ....................................................... 59 2. 3. 4. Hispanic and Indigenous Heritage in Mexico ................................................................. 61 3. Alejo Carpentier’s Literary Historicism in La aprendiz de bruja and El arpa y la sombra .. 63 3. 1. 1. Deviation from the Sources in La aprendiz ..................................................................... 72 3. 1. 2. Carpentier’s Literary Historicism in El arpa y la sombra ............................................... 74 3. 2. Carpentier’s Semantic Historicism: Reassessing Historical Characters .......................... 80 3. 2. 1. Christopher Columbus: the Conquistador-Descubierto and Descubridor-Conquistado .. 80 3. 2. 2. Marina and Aguilar: Translation as Acculturation in La aprendiz de bruja.................... 85 3. 2. 3. Cortés and Marina: the Strategist and the Victim ............................................................ 87 3. 2. 4. The American Baroque: a Reassesment of Latin American Identity .............................. 92 3. 3 Further Considerations: the Conquest in the Works of Carlos Fuentes and Alejo Carpentier........................................................................................................................................ 93 1 Second Section: Critical Literary Interpretations