University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Theses, Dissertations, Student Research: Modern Languages and Literatures, Department Modern Languages and Literatures of 11-2011 Mass Culture as Domination or Resistance in Latin American Narratives Tim Robbins University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/modlangdiss Part of the Latin American Literature Commons, and the Modern Languages Commons Robbins, Tim, "Mass Culture as Domination or Resistance in Latin American Narratives" (2011). Theses, Dissertations, Student Research: Modern Languages and Literatures. 10. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/modlangdiss/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Modern Languages and Literatures, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, Student Research: Modern Languages and Literatures by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. MASS CULTURE AS DOMINATION OR RESISTANCE IN LATIN AMERICAN NARRATIVES By Timothy R. Robbins A DISSERTATION Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Major: Modern Languages and Literatures (Spanish) Under the Supervision of Professor José Eduardo González Lincoln, Nebraska November, 2011 Mass Culture as Domination or Resistance in Latin American Narratives Timothy R. Robbins, Ph.D. University of Nebraska, 2011 Advisor: José Eduardo González Since the introduction of radio to Latin America in the 1930’s and later television in the 1950’s, mass culture has become an important and even contentious part of Latin American identity, and as such has also become an important part of Latin American narratives. In looking at the issue of mass culture, two basic approaches emerge: one can see mass culture as a force of domination or one can see it as a force of resistance. It is possible to trace these approaches through different time periods and geopolitical situations. The Mexican Onda writers, for instance, utilize the rock and roll of North American mass culture for the creation of a generational ethos which pushes the boundaries of the authoritarian idea of Mexican identity. This can be seen as a positive force, as is the case with José Agustín, Gustavo Sainz and Parménides García Saldaña, or as a manifestation of cultural imperialism as Hector Manjarrez proposes. Carlos Monsiváis bridges the spectrum between the two ideologies, gradually envisioning mass culture to be an instrument of cultural imperialism at the same time that it offers a means of resisting social hierarchies and assumptions. At the same time that the Onda authors are exploring Mexican identity, Manuel Puig incorporates mass culture through film and radio in his novels with a different focus. In his novels, Boquitas pintadas and The Buenos Aires Affair, Puig explores the construction of power structures based on gender and ultimately proposes that mass culture can be used to resist these structures if one takes an active, critical approach. The Onda and Puig form a strong basis for comparison and contrast for postmodern writers Alberto Fuguet and Rodrigo Fresán. These authors see mass culture as a part of the fabric of postmodern life, but in this they also see it as a means of domination. Mass culture becomes a fetish that allows the individual to maintain the status quo. iv For my wife, Jessica v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The number of people who have given support to this project in many different ways is too large to list here, so I would initially thank all of those who are not mentioned by name for their help. The biggest influence on me throughout this process has been my advisor, José Eduardo González. He has provided astute guidance, direct and insightful critiques, and unfailing support to me. Without him, this project would not be what it is and I thank him for believing in me and for helping me along the way. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Rigoberto Guevara, Kay Nickel and James Garza for their time and input. I would especially recognize Kay Nickel for her extremely detailed coments on the text of my dissertation. Throughout the process of writing, a number of individuals have been extremely helpful through dialogue and feedback. Jim Gustafson has traveled the conference circuit with me and has provided insight on various parts of my work. He has given me encouragement and has shown me the benefits of both relaxing and living with impending deadlines. I would also like to thank Phil Snider for introducing me to the theories of Slavoj Žižek. Through countless afternoon coffee conversations, Phil has also given me a valuable doorway to see how those who are not involved in literary study can dialogue with my work. My colleagues and friends at Drury University have also been invaluable to me. I am fortunate to work in a fun, respectful environment with the members of the Languages Department: Elizabeth Nichols, Alberto Chamorro, Patrick Moser, and Cathy Blunk. I would be remiss not to give special consideration to Elizabethe Nichols, who vi was instrumental in my decision to attend graduate school and who has been supportive of me and my family from the time I met her as a student in her SPAN 201 class during the Fall of 1998. I consider her first and foremost a mentor and a friend. Other members of the Drury community have also given me unflagging encouragement. I would like to recognize Patricia MacEachern, Peter Browning, Peter Meidlinger, Charlyn Ingwerson and Jonathan Groves for their support. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I would not have been able to continue this process without my family. I would like to thank my parents, Larry and Barbara Robbins, for giving me the opportunities to be where I am today. My wife, Jessica, has been amazingly patient and supportive, recognizing that at times her husband would disappear into his work and she would in essence be a single parent. I honestly would not have been able to finish without her. Finally, my children, Joseph and Emma, have shown me the lighter side of life and forced me to take a break when things become overwhelming. vii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Mass Culture and Theory: 1 From Adorno and Benjamin to Latin America Chapter 2: Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll: The Mexican Onda 75 Chapter 3: Movies, Tango, Gender and Identity: Manuel Puig 160 Chapter 4: North American Dreams and Twilight Zone Reality: 197 Alberto Fuguet and Rodrigo Fresán Works Cited 249 1 Chapter 1 Mass Culture and Theory: From Adorno and Benjamin to Latin America Probably the criteria most often agreed upon for distinguishing between the modern and postmodern cultural sensibilities is their respective attitudes toward mass culture. Modernism defined itself in opposition to mass culture. Postmodernism embraces its forms and contents, incorporating them within new artifacts that blur the distinction between high and low culture. Santiago Colás (ix) In 1996, Alberto Fuguet and Sergio Gómez published their, to many, groundbreaking collection of short stories, McOndo, and instilled a new look within the academic as well as literary community as to what Latin American literature is and should be. The project of Fuguet and Gómez highlights the need of a new generation to find a voice and their increasing desire to distance themselves from the great Boom narratives that have become the expected norm from Latin American authors. In looking at this newer generation of authors that have recently enjoyed more critical attention, one encounters a narrative that seeks to forge through new territory and to become an autonomous form of art. As is always the case, individual regions and individual writers each have their own unique and separate styles, themes, motifs, etc., but in looking at a 2 group of writers who, either directly or tangentially, are connected with the McOndo project, Alberto Fuguet or Rodrigro Fresán for instance, the theme of mass culture and its relationship with their narrative creation and with other forms of culture becomes a clear area of interest. Based on the increased importance of mass culture within their work, we can examine the texts of these authors in the historical and literary context of their day, at the same time examining their precursors, writers who in the heyday of the Boom narratives chose to take a different approach, one that was less concerned with the great national narratives and more concerned with mass culture and its place in society and in literature. If we focus on the geographical, regional landscape, we find that the Onda writers in Mexico and Manuel Puig in the Southern Cone both provide examples of writers with whom the later McOndo authors enter into indirect dialogue.1 In looking at all of these writers and the theoretical background that coexists with their works, two very distinct attitudes towards mass culture emerge: a positive vision that sees mass culture as a means of resistance to traditional or authoritative practices and ideas about art, and a negative vision that sees mass culture as a force of domination or oppression. A Working Definition of Mass Culture. Before we begin to examine mass culture within these writers’ texts, it is necessary to have a clear grasp of what mass culture is and the controversies that surround it. The debate regarding mass culture and its relationship with so called “high” culture (e.g. Literature) is certainly not new. This debate finds resonance with the criticism of both Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno, and many critics and authors in one way or another continue their arguments. This relationship becomes one of the primary focuses of postmodern thought and expression.