Selling a Feeling: New Approaches Toward Recent Gay Chicano Authors and Their Audience Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Douglas Paul William Bush, M.A. Graduate Program in Spanish and Portuguese The Ohio State University 2013 Dissertation Committee: Ignacio Corona, Advisor Frederick Luis Aldama Fernando Unzueta Copyright by Douglas Paul William Bush 2013 Abstract Gay Chicano authors have been criticized for not forming the same type of strong literary identity and community as their Chicana feminist counterparts, a counterpublic that has given voice not only to themselves as authors, but also to countless readers who see themselves reflected in their texts. One of the strengths of the Chicana feminist movement is that they have not only produced their own works, but have made sense of them as well, creating a female-to-female tradition that was previously lacking. Instead of merely reiterating that gay Chicano authors have not formed this community and common identity, this dissertation instead turns the conversation toward the reader. Specifically, I move from how authors make sense of their texts and form community, to how readers may make sense of texts, and finally, to how readers form community. I limit this conversation to three authors in particular—Alex Espinoza, Rigoberto González, and Manuel Muñoz— whom I label the second generation of gay Chicano writers. In González, I combine the cognitive study of empathy and sympathy to examine how he constructs affective planes that pull the reader into feeling for and with the characters that he draws. I also further elaborate on what the real world consequences of this affective union—existing between character and audience— may be. In Muñoz, I consider how, through the destabilization of the narrator ii position, the author constructs storyworlds that first pull the reader in, and then push them out of the narrative in a search for closure. Here, I theorize that he forces the reader to mind read his narrators in order to discern their true intentions. In Espinoza, I explore the typification of Latino/a literature in the marketplace and how it has become tied to magical realism. Here, I posit that Espinoza has created a magic realized novel, one that presents itself as something magical realist, but systemically discredits the notion of magic throughout the work. I use cognitive theories of surprise to explain how readers may perceive this discrediting, and what the wider implications of a novel such as his Still Water Saints may be for Latina/o literature. In the final chapter of this dissertation, I move the study towards how readers form cybercommunities of authors online. I present data collected on Amazon.com and discuss relationships found between authors through the website’s feature “Customers Also Bought Items By.” I conclude that readers do indeed appear to be connecting this second generation of gay Chicano authors online in ways that they do not appear to do for the first generation, potentially resolving the issue of these authors not forming these communities themselves. iii Dedication I would not be where I am without my grandmother, who always encouraged me to keep studying enough though it kept me away from home. You have been my greatest support, and I will never be able to repay you for it. And to the rest of my family, who don’t really understand why I’m still in school, but encourage me anyway. I also dedicate this to my fantastic friends: Mariana (even though she left us for a Ph.D. in Edinburgh), Amanda (my academic wife these past five years), her husband Cliff and daughter Charlotte, Chantal (my sister from another mother for the past 20 years), Kristina, Ale, Naomi, Erin and Joanna (who have all gone onto great things since our Master’s), Theresa and Indra (who have kept me moving this past year—literally), and the countless other friends I have made over the past eight years. And finally to Marco, whose love and support have kept me going throughout the entire Ph.D, and will far into the future. Te amo, guapo. iv Acknowledgments First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Ignacio Corona, whose patience throughout my Ph.D. has been greatly appreciated, particularly during the first two years when I was still getting my head back into academia after being away for too long. His feedback during the dissertation process was excellent, and this project would not be what it is without his support. Coming into this project, I knew very little about Latina/o Studies, and much of the knowledge that I have gained owes a large debt to Dr. Frederick Luis Aldama. He has also offered invaluable support and welcomed me into the world that he has built at The Ohio State University with open arms. It is much thanks to him that I feel as though I’ve finally found a place in academia, and words do not truly express how grateful I am for that. I also thank Dr. Fernando Unzueta for agreeing to be a part of my dissertation committee, despite his hectic schedule. And Dr. Unzueta, Dr. Corona, Dr. Lisa Voigt and Dr. Ana Del Sarto for getting me through my comprehensive exams. Finally, I would like to acknowledge Dr. Rob Robison and Dr. Jan Macián who have made me a better teacher, Yolanda Zepeda who has assisted me with conference funding, and Judy Manley, who has helped me to keep Canada Student Loans at bay during this entire process. v Vita June 1998 ....................................................................... Park View Education Centre May 2004 ....................................................................... B.A. Dalhousie University October 2004 ................................................................ M.A. University of Western Ontario 2008 – Present ............................................................. Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Spanish & Portuguese, The Ohio State University Publications Bush, Doug. “La religión como ganga: La Maja Barata de Xavier Velasco.” Delaware Review of Latin American Studies. 12:2 (2011): n.p. Web. Fields of Study Major Field: Spanish & Portuguese Minor Field: Sociology vi Table of Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................................. v Vita .............................................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................... x List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................ xi Introduction: Positioning Gay Chicano Literature (and its authors) .................................. 1 Entering the academy ............................................................................................................... 9 Gay Chicano discourse in the academy ........................................................................... 15 Review of Literature .............................................................................................................. 20 Chapter Organization ............................................................................................................. 27 Chapter 1: Reading Sympathy and Empathy in González’s Crossing Vines and Butterfly Boy........................................................................................................................................... 34 Feeling with and feeling for ................................................................................................. 37 Cultivating sympathy in Crossing Vines .......................................................................... 46 vii Leonardo’s shift from author to reader .......................................................................... 56 The dual empathetic readerships of Butterfly Boy ..................................................... 66 Different empathies for different audiences ................................................................ 68 How flawed individuals drive empathy in Butterfly Boy ......................................... 70 The political function of affect ............................................................................................ 80 The “overheard” audience of González’s works .......................................................... 87 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 90 Chapter 2: Bridging the Gaps and Confronting the Narrator across Manuel Muñoz’s works ........................................................................................................................................................ 91 Reading the narrator.............................................................................................................. 93 Mindreading the narrator ...................................................................................................