Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

Publication Date

Spring 5-28-1971

Abstract

This study 1s divided into three parts. The first is over the ne Latin American narrative, which involves identifying magic realism as a vanguard movement, using as examples the works of two authors who present characteris­tics of magic realism, Julio Cortázar from Argentina and Clarice Lispector from Brazil.

The second part considers the expression "magic realism" as the denomination of a new literary movement, the historical conceptualization of the term and its use by the critics to characterize the works of the two authors studied.

The third part offers an analysis of the works of Clarice Lispector and Julio Cortázar, considering that these two authors present new formulas for the Latin American novel. In this part there is an investigation of the most outstanding characteristics of the magic realism 1n these works, such as:

1. a new manner of presentation of metaphysical themes, chaos, the paradox of life, protest, solitude and death.

2. a new placement of the point of view of the narrator and stream of consciousness.

3. an ambiguous chronology.

4. the assembling of allegorical modern farce.

5. the re-creation of language, establishing new fonts of lyricism in prose.

The conclusion presents a comparison between the two principal and largest works of the two authors, A Maci no Escuro by Clarice Lispector and Rayuela by Julio Cortázar, dealing with their structure and their common theme: a man-character in the process of "undoing life" in order to find his own essence.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Committee Member (Chair)

Marshall Rutherford Nason

Second Committee Member

Raymond Ralph MacCurdy

Third Committee Member

Jack E. Tomlins

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