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- Abstract:
- This dissertation engages in the debate about ethics within the humanities, specifically, in literature that comes out of periods of political violence. In contexts of conflict, fictional narrative generates different ethical options and can create moral questioning.<br/> The period of political violence in Peru began in 1980 and lasted ten years. Research estimates that there were approximately 69,000 victims. The poorest of the people and peripheral zones of the country were the most damaged. The Peruvian state fought against two subversive groups, Sendero Luminoso and MRTA. The Informe Final (2003), a far-reaching project about these years, defined causes, responsibilities, and consequences of this conflict. It also pointed out Peru´s main societal problems, and demanded an ethical response from all its citizens.<br/> The corpus of my research includes two novels, Historia de Mayta (1984) by Mario Vargas Llosa, and Grandes miradas (2003) by Alonso Cueto. I also analyze two short stories, “Ñakay Pacha (El tiempo del dolor)” (1991) by Dante Castro, and “La noche de Walpurgis” (1989) by Pilar Dughi. These texts display different and sometimes divergent ethical positions concerning the place and impact that these artistic works should generate in society. At the same time, through diverse narrative strategies, they commonly propose the construction of an ethical subject. They also highlight a demand of commitment from the reader. This commitment may vary, depending on the ethical position of the text, but there is still an invocation to revisit historical memory and question social ties. I examine the narrative strategies of each text and its effect on readers using the theoretical approaches of Emmanuel Lévinas, postcolonial and subaltern studies, Michel Foucault, Richard Sennett, and Ethical Criticism.<br/> Literature cannot ignore ethical implications when representing violence. However, the extension of its effects varies according to how each writer and reader understands the relation between ethical demands and the aesthetic nature of the work of art. By attributing a broader function to fictional narratives inspired in periods of violence, this dissertation evaluates how literature as a discourse has contributed to the formation of cultural, political, and social thinking in Peru.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2012)
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Citation
Saucedo, Carmen P.,
"La literatura de la violencia política en el Perú (1980-2000): planteamientos narrativos y opciones éticas"
(2012).
Hispanic Studies Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://doi.org/10.7301/Z09G5K3Z
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Hispanic Studies Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Hispanic Studies department....