University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2013 La construcción literaria de la identidad de Puerto Rico: El país de cuatro voces Lisa Ybonne Figueroa Parker University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Lisa Ybonne Figueroa Parker entitled "La construcción literaria de la identidad de Puerto Rico: El país de cuatro voces." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Modern Foreign Languages. Michael Handelsman, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Greg Kaplan, Luis Cano, Jana Morgan Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) La construcción literaria de la identidad de Puerto Rico: El país de cuatro voces A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor for Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Lisa Ybonne Figueroa Parker May 2013 Copyright © 2013 Lisa Ybonne Figueroa Parker All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION To my Heavenly Father and my Lord Jesus Christ To my dear husband and love of my life, Duane A. Parker To my beloved parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miguel A. and Carmen M. Figueroa To my precious and cherished daughters, Nicole S. Cruse and Lorraine Y. Perkins To my very special son-in-law, Timothy S. Cruse iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank God because His perfect and true Word is “a lamp onto my feet and a light unto my path” guiding every step of my life, “never leaving nor forsaking me”, and “renewing my strength” as He promises. My academic journey has been an experience like no other. This dissertation has been an exercise that required daily discipline, motivation, perseverance and prioritization. I honestly could not have done it without my faith in the Lord. Thus, I give all glory to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! Second, it was the outpouring of support and love from my family that gave me the courage to “fight the good fight, and finish my course.” My dear husband, Duane, has patiently walked beside me through good and bad days during this long journey. He supported me physically and emotionally, spending many long nights waiting while I finished studying/reading/writing. Duane, thank you for doing all the tasks that I was not able to do, without a single complaint. My parents were my unquestionable full-time encouragers. I could not have done it without their prayers and generous help. Mami y papi, you are and will always be my “Puerto Rico” wherever I go! Los quiero con todo mi corazón y estoy orgullosísima de ustedes. My daughter, Nicole, was my strong fortress and my biggest cheerleader. Thanks for making me laugh when I wanted to cry! My daughter Lorraine has helped me to trust the Lord in all things. My dear son-in-law, Timothy, who I love like a son, has been a great supporter. I wish to continue to be a genuine role model to my children Nicole, Lorraine, and Timothy by demonstrating that “with God all things are possible.” iv I would like to thank my dissertation committee for all the help and efforts to prepare me to complete this goal. Dr. Michael Handelsman, there are no words in any language to thank you for all you have done for me. Beyond literature and theory, you motivated me to do my very best. You were firm yet gentle and respectful, qualities that I want to emulate. Dr. Luis Cano, thank you for your steadfast support and confidence in me from the beginning. You are a true mentor. Dr. Greg Kaplan, thank you for always cheering me with your positive attitude. Dr. Jana Morgan, thank you for your willingness to share your expertise in my committee. Other professors also have a special place in my heart. Dr. Dolly Young, thank you for the times you counseled me and provided your input and direction through my academic journey. To Dr. Nuria Cruz-Cámara, Dr. Millie Gimmel, Dr. Oscar Rivera- Rodas and Dr. Bryant Creel, you all have made an indelible mark in my education, each imparting your unique style of instruction and expertise. Last, but not least, without the support of old and new friends this journey would have been lonesome and incomplete. To my very unique “Mosqueteros”, Janelle Coleman and Andy Ray, thanks for our many “group” sessions, some with laughter, some with tears, but never despair. May we always keep in touch! Special thanks to my constant prayer warriors: Rachel George, Betty Ammans, Diane Hering, Cindi Agoubi, Susan Ridley, Kim Craig, Dr. Joe Ferguson, Janelle Coleman, Amevi Bocco (Augustin), and the ladies at my church. Your labor was not in vain. I love you all! v ABSTRACT This dissertation studies how language in Puerto Rican literature has been instrumental in reconstructing national identity in the context of the Island’s colonial histories. Bearing in mind that colonialism not only produced economic and political domination, but also epistemic control over cultural values and practices in general, Puerto Rican writers have used language to resignify a national imaginary that continues to be elusive and contradictory. To demonstrate how language in literature has become a site of struggle for decolonization, this study analyzes four representative voices from the nineteenth and twentieth century which construct distinct, yet complementary, identities. Chapter one focuses on the strategies used by the voice of the jíbaro which speaks from the colonial difference while under the Spanish Empire to appropriate a new identity in works such as “Las coplas del jíbaro” by Miguel Cabrera and El Gíbaro by Manuel A. Alonso. Chapter two examines the voice of the creolized Spanish speaker who seeks traditional Hispanic roots in the discourses and writings of Pedro Albizu Campos and the essays of Antonio S. Pedreira. Chapter three analyzes the voice of the mulatto with a focus on the Afro-Caribbean inheritance in several poems from Tuntún de pasa y grifería by Luis Palés Matos and Dinga y Mandinga by Fortunato Vizcarrondo. Chapter four considers the issues of migration, Spanglish and code-switching through the voice of the diaspora in La carreta by René Marqués, “La guagua aérea” by Luis Rafael Sánchez and “Pollito Chicken” by Ana Lydia Vega. Critical concepts of decoloniality as a means of reading literature and identity are at the core of this dissertation. Colonial difference, subversive complicity and epistemic vi processes of transformation illuminate new ways of conceptualizing Puerto Rico’s on- going struggle for decolonization. vii TABLA DE CONTENIDO INTRODUCCIÓN……………………………………….…………………………….1-21 CAPÍTULO 1- LA VOZ JÍBARA…………………………..…………………………...22 A. Introducción a la voz jíbara…………………………………………………..22-27 B. Trasfondo histórico-lingüístico de Puerto Rico……………………………....27-36 C. Origen del vocablo “jíbaro” y su etimología…………………………………36-38 D. Puerto Rico en relación con la América Latina del siglo XIX……………….39-41 E. Precursores del jibarismo literario en el siglo XIX…………………………..42-45 1. “Las coplas del jíbaro”……………………………………………………….46-52 2. Aguinaldo Puertorriqueño y El Álbum Puertorriqueño…...............................52-58 3. El Gíbaro……………………………………………………………………..58-69 CAPÍTULO 2- LA VOZ HISPANÓFILA……………………………………………….70 A. Introducción a la voz hispanófila……………………………………………..70-77 B. Puerto Rico ante la Guerra Hispanoamericana de 1898……………….……..77-86 C. La historia política y la literaria de la Generación del Treinta…….................86-94 D. La voz hispanófila en el discurso y la ensayística puertorriqueños………...……94 1. Pedro Albizu Campos- la voz hispanófila en los textos y los discursos........94-110 2. Antonio S. Pedreira- la voz hispanófila en la ensayística…………..……...110-128 viii CAPÍTULO 3- LA VOZ MULATA………………………………...………………….129 A. Introducción a la voz mulata………………………………………............129-140 B. El Caribe y su relación con la voz mulata………………………………....140-153 C. La voz mulata en la poesía del siglo XX……………………………………….153 1. El cosmopolitismo en la voz mulata en la poesía de Luis Palés Matos……153-177 2. El arraigo territorial en la voz mulata en la poesía de Fortunato Vizcarrondo………………………………………..177-199 CAPÍTULO 4- LA VOZ DE LA DIÁSPORA…………………………………………200 A. Introducción a la voz de la diáspora……………………………………….200-208 B. Trasfondo histórico-político de Puerto Rico a mediados del siglo XX……208-219 C. El movimiento migratorio y la literatura puertorriqueña……............................219 1. Desplazamiento del campo a la ciudad; de la ciudad a la Metrópoli……...219-233 2. La migración giratoria……………………………………………...……...233-248 3. La alternancia de códigos y el espanglish en la voz de la diáspora………..248-264 CONCLUSIÓN- …………………………………..………………………………265-271 BIBLIOGRAFÍA………………………………………………………………..…272-294 APÉNDICES- ………………………………………………………………………….295 A. “Las coplas del jíbaro” (1820)…………………………………………….296-299 B. “Un casamiento jíbaro”, escena IV de El Gíbaro (1849)………………….300-304 C. “La mulata”, Dinga y Mandinga (1942)…………………………………...305-306 D. “Balada