NIHILISM IN THE WORKS OF ENRIQUE LAFOURCADE Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Dennis, Harry Joe, 1940- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 24/09/2021 07:28:21 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/287510 70-22,314 DENNIS, Harry Joe, 1940- NIHILISM IN THE WORKS OF ENRIQUE LAFOURCADE. [Portions of Text in Spanish]. University of Arizona, Ph.D., 1970 Language and Literature, modern University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan (c) COPYRIGHTED BY HARRY JOE DENNIS 1970 iii TUTG nTCOPPTATTriM MAC hffn MTPPrtPTT.M'PT) FYACTT.Y AR REP.ETVED NIHILISM IN THE WORKS OF ENRIQUE LAFOURCADE by Harry Joe Dennis A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF ROMANCE LANGUAGES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN SPANISH In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1970 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Harry Joe Dennis entitled NIHILISM IN THE WORKS OF ENRIQUE LAFOURCADE be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ncf** f-7o Dissertation Director Date * After inspection of the final copy of the dissertation, the following members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance:" A 0, I 116 ]2- ^ 4 7 o £'P 9~p ff jo c iL_. (Oh (tY •/A-U-, i. o i nb This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to bor­ rowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to Dr. Renato Rosaldo, to whom this study is dedicated, for his advice and encouragement. I also wish to extend a special acknowledgment to Dr. Leo Barrow, who taught me many insights into literary criti­ cism. His ideas have aided me immeasurably in the approach to this study. I am especially grateful to the author himself, Mr. Enrique Lafourcade, whose literary genius made this work possible. His cogent comments and suggestions regarding this particular topic were a guiding force in its completion. I am indebted to him also for pro­ viding me with access to many of the materials found in this study. A very special debt of gratitude is extended to the other mem­ bers of my committee whose understanding and support throughout the long period of this investigation have sustained me. My appreciation goes to Dr. H. Reynolds Stone, Dr. Dolores Brown and Dr. Timothy Brown. To Dr. Charles Olstad I give my thanks for his help regarding proper form. Much credit should also be given to that indefatigable proof­ reader and faithful companion whose helpful suggestions were iv V indispensable in this task. A special word of appreciation, therefore, to my wife Diane. I would also like to recognize the Graduate Council of The University of Arizona for granting me a National Defense Education Act Fellowship. Finally, my thanks go to Dr. Jack Davis, Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. Agapito Rey, along with Dr. William Whitby, for their continued interest in my academic pursuits. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT viii 1. INTRODUCTION . t 1 2. NIHILISTIC PERSPECTIVE: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF NIHILISM 13 3. NIHILISTIC PERSPECTIVE: MAIN CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF NIHILISM 25 4. FOCUS ON THE EXTRINSIC: THE VOGUE OF CRIOLLISMO 37 5. FOCUS ON THE INTRINSIC: ENRIQUE LAFOURCADE AND THE GENERATION OF 1950 48 6. NIHILISTIC CHARACTERIZATION: THE ALIENATED INDIVIDUAL 62 7. NIHILISTIC CHARACTERIZATION: THE ETHICAL REBEL 104 8. NIHILISTIC CHARACTERIZATION: THE VICTIM 149 9. NIHILISTIC CHARACTERIZATION: SECONDARY CHARACTERS 184 10. THE MAIN NIHILISTIC THEMES 229 The Deterioration of Society 230 The Search for Personal Identity 249 The Materialistic Quest 259 Revolution 266 11. TECHNIQUE 273 vi vii TABLE OF CONTENTS-. - Continued Page 12. CONCLUSIONS 304 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 323 ABSTRACT The Chilean novelist and short story writer Enrique Lafourcade has shown throughout his prose fiction a propensity to concentrate on the negativistic in life. This investigation explores in depth the par­ ticular utilization of the nihilistic mode in his fiction as being indicative of his literary Weltanschauung. Minor studies have been made examin­ ing isolated aspects of his novelistic art but no complete critical study exists which treats of the author's use of the nihilistic philosophy in his works. This inquiry, then, is meant to provide a deeper insight into this modern writer's literary creativity. The nihilistic mode is quite evident from Lafourcade's first work, El libro de Kareen (1950) to his latest, Frecuencia modulada (1968). As such, it acts as an agent which binds diverse elements such as character, theme and novelistic devices, and produces a unified whole based upon a negative view of humanity. For the purpose of defining the nihilistic philosophy in order to better interpret Lafourcade's prose fiction, it was deemed neces­ sary to explore the social and political implications of nihilism. Since Lafourcade's negative world view is in consonance with that expressed by his nihilistic precursors, specific constituent elements of nihilism espoused by Nietzsche, Camus, Hegel, and Thielicke were examined to viii ix provide an ideological approach to the author's works. Understanding these varied nihilistic credos aids in interpreting Lafourcade's explicit employ of the nihilistic mode. When placed within a literary perspective, it becomes clear that Lafourcade, as leader of the Generation of 1950, has rejected the narrow novelistic limits of criollismo, that literary vogue which depicted man in a losing struggle with the forces of nature. His genera­ tion of writers portrays the intrinsic psychological problems besetting modern man. The hero is shown to be a victim of a totally complacent and materialistic society; he experiences a tragic loss of values. Un­ able to rise above his personal ethical tragedy, the individual becomes dehumanized. Lafourcade and his generation have transcended national themes in their presentation of basic psychological problems which affect man on a universal scale. A critical study of the main characters in Lafourcade's works reveals three main types: the alienated individual, the ethical rebel, and the victim. In each case these characters manifest within them­ selves a conflict of values; personal axiologies come into direct con­ flict with the ethos or value system established by society. The final solution to this conflict comes for many of these individuals' when they readily prostitute their values to the debased system of their society. When reconciliation is not possible, then existenqe continues as a type of life-in-death; dehumanization follows as a logical consequence. The X secondary characters are shown to demonstrate the same nihilistic traits as the main protagonists. Certain nihilistic themes recur throughout Lafourcade's fiction. These thematic choices impart a certain negative consistency to the author's works. Main nihilistic themes examined are the deterioration of society, the search for personal identity, the materialistic quest and revolution. A discussion of the most outstanding, literary devices utilized by Lafourcade lends esthetic depth to his nihilistic achievements in prose. His deft use of point of view, time and space, symbolism and allegory, and other novelistic elements serves to heighten the effects of his nihilistic presentation. Nihilism adds an important dimension to Lafourcade's Weltanschauung. His concentration on the negativistic aspects of life is a cogent commentary on the present state of man in the universe. Lafourcade views modern man as a creature who is psychologically confused and unavoidably lost because he is unable to experience life authentically. In a cosmos where personal and collective values have become chronically debased, the individual turns nihilistic, that is, devoid of those ethical qualities which identify him as a respected member of society. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Enrique Lafourcade Valdenegro has made an indelible impact upon Chile's literary world. In a very short period of time he has produced a number of novels, "poems in prose, " and short stories, which will undoubtedly award him lasting rank in Chilean letters. The purpose of this study is to examine and analyze in detail a somewhat neglected area in the study of Enrique Lafourcade and his novelistic production. A close examination of the total novelistic creation of Enrique