Date of Award

1-2011

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Spanish

First Advisor

Dr. Irma López

Second Advisor

Dr. John Benson

Third Advisor

Dr. Mayra Fortes

Fourth Advisor

Dr. Benjamin Torres

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes the resurgence of detective fiction in Mexican novéis of the twenty-first century and focuses on the writers' artistic intentions in creating complex texts that contrast the less experimental literature of the Post-Boom. The revival in the popularity of the crime novel in México has emerged, in part, because of the deep societal problems the country faces (such as political corruption, drug cartels, and economic crises), and the sense of powerlessness often experienced by its citizens when confronting such problems. From an aesthetic standpoint, a renewed approach to this genre springs from the novelists' constant quest to represent their topics of interest with literary novelty. The authors studied in this dissertation search for new narrative devices to approach oíd themes and follow current novelistic trends, such as those initiated and practiced by Mexican writers associated with the literary movement known as the Crack. The four Mexican novéis studied in this dissertation are: Rogelio Guedea's Conducir un tráiler (2008); Mónica Lavín's Café cortado (2008); Ignacio Padilla's Amphitryon (2000); and Susana Pagano's Trajinar de un muerto (2001). Through these works, the detective novel in México has lost its stigma as mere escapist literature. Its artistic form, bursting with experimentation and plots that are both intellectual and involving, attests that the genre is a means to engage the authors and their readers in the aesthetic and cultural dialogue of present-day México.

Comments

This title in English is "The Detective Genre and Its Representation in the Mexican Novel of the Twenty-First Century"

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

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