Papers by Jennifer Monti, Ph.D.
The year 1992 marked a turning point for Spain. The Barcelona Olympics, the Seville World Exposit... more The year 1992 marked a turning point for Spain. The Barcelona Olympics, the Seville World Exposition, and the Quincentennial of Columbus' first voyage to the Americas kickstarted a renaissance for the Iberian country, as it entered into a globalized economy. Though the 1992 celebrations were criticized by many for their problematic glorification of Spain's colonial history, this particular year also gave birth to a newfound interest in Cuba, one of Spain's most precious colonies, lost in 1898. Literary texts, films, documentaries, photographs, and art focused on the Caribbean island began circulating in Spain in an unprecedented manner, as artists and the public alike showed a growing enthusiasm towards Cuba, its history, and its culture. iii By analyzing novels, theater, a tourist guidebook, a film, and two photographic series, this interdisciplinary and transatlantic dissertation studies the image of Cuba promoted through the work of Spanish women writers (Carme Riera, Magrarita Aritzeta, María Teresa Álvarez, Ángel Aymar i Ragolta, Isabel Segura) and photographers (Cristina García Rodero, and Isabel Muñoz) between 1992 and 2015. I maintain that though conceived with good intentions, the literary and cultural productions discussed herein offer a simplistic, stereotypical, and at times fetishizing image of Cuba. Most works fail at openly criticizing Spain's dark colonial history and choose, instead, to grant Spanish women a voice, an agency, and a subjectivity, wishing to rescue them from historical oblivion. While significant, this "gendered choice" is nevertheless paradoxical, for it obscures the role that Western women, alongside men, played in the colonization process and in the oppression of others. The westernized images of Cuba offered by the writers and photographers in this project, as well as the omission of Spain's colonial actions, support what scholars call imperialist nostalgia-the longing for a past whose brutality has been concealed and forgotten. The works that I study are the offspring of this particular form of nostalgia, which finds its truest expression in the problematic clichés and images used, during the last thirty years, in Spanish literature and photographs focused on Cuba, as well as in Spain's new forms of economic colonialism on the island. x they left their mark in the form of architectural constructions, language idioms, gastronomy, history, politics, cinema, photography, and certainly literature. As I began my quest to uncover Catalan literature focused on Cuba, I came across a plethora of texts that spanned throughout the centuries: soldiers' letters, merchants' notes, newspaper articles, memories, emigrants' diaries, poetry, theater, tourist guidebooks, and novels. What caught my attention, however, was the quasi-inexplicable increase in the production of texts centered on Cuba that surfaced around and after the year 1992, as if this particular date represented a turning-point for Catalonia and Spain. The year 1992 (which was followed by a second important date: 1998), did, in fact, stand as one of the most important dates in post-Franco Spain, as three crucial events took place in the Iberian country: 1) the celebration of the summer Olympics in Barcelona; 2) the World Exposition in Seville; and 3) the quincentennial of Columbus' first voyage to the Americas-which was met with both jubilee and criticism. Though the Olympics and the World Expo (along with Spain's entrance into the European Community in 1986) symbolized the country's metaphorical and economic rebirth after decades of dictatorship, the celebration of the 1492 events were tainted with a different aura. While some viewed the festivities as a way to celebrate Spain's history and past imperial glory, others interpreted it as a resurfacing of colonial values and feelings of imperialist nostalgia. Instead of catapulting Spain into modern Europe, the celebration of Columbus' crossing was anchoring Spain to its questionable colonial past. As my quest to discover Cuba-related texts continued, I noticed that the accretion of such texts was not solely pertinent to Catalonia, but to Spain's entirety, as well. So, my interest shifted from a close analysis of Catalan texts to a larger analysis of Spanish literature and cultural productions focused on Cuba, for the more I searched, the more I found, and the more intent I xi became on uncovering how Cuba and its women were depicted in Spanish literature and photography. Hence, this manuscript includes texts and photographs that originate from several Spanish areas-Catalonia, Aragón, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, and Castille-La Mancha-and that span across a twenty-five-year period (from 1992 to 2015), but that share a common element: Cuba and their representation of women.
The Fasci di Combattimento then became a political party in 1921 with the name of Partito Naziona... more The Fasci di Combattimento then became a political party in 1921 with the name of Partito Nazionale Fascista (PNF, Fascist National Party), and subsequently a dictatorship in 1925, remaining under the power of Benito Mussolini until 1943, when his dictatorship collapsed. 13 As Lasansky explains, The new regime quickly gained the support of the industrial working classes, the middle class, landowners, and business through political rhetoric that promised social reform, political power of the people, and a new form of aggressive nationalism. They established a corporate economy that united workers and business leaders within a system of intense productivity. By 1926 Mussolini had transformed the government into a totalitarian state. He gained control of the press, abolished the Parliament, and eliminated competing political parties. While the Italian monarchy survived during this rule, its power was greatly diminished. 14 There are many aspects of Fascism that characterized not solely the Italian movement, but to some extent all the fascist movements across Europe and the world. Perhaps the fundamental idea behind Fascism was that of being "revolutionary," meaning a break with the past, and the creation of something new that Italy had ever experienced before. And under many aspects (positive or negative) Fascism was precisely that. The term "revolutionary" can be interpreted as a revolution "against modern society, with its connotations of industrialism, individualism and bourgeois values; or, alternatively, as a 12
Catedral Tomada. Revista de crítica literaria latinoamericana, 2013
La visión del "otro": racismo y ostracismo en "El matadero" y Facundo Resumen Dos obras clásicas ... more La visión del "otro": racismo y ostracismo en "El matadero" y Facundo Resumen Dos obras clásicas de la literatura argentina desarrollan ampliamente la muy trabajada dicotomía civilización/barbarie. Sin embargo, el cuento "El matadero" de Esteban Echeverría y Facundo: civilización y barbarie de Domingo Faustino Sarmiento presentan este tema de manera contradictoria. Usando como marco la separación entre 'civilización' y 'barbarie' y analizando la manera en que estos autores unitarios describen al 'otro', este ensayo revela el profundo racismo presente en dicha dicotomía. Ambas obras maestras pintan a los afro-argentinos, a los gauchos y a los mestizos como animalizados, como puro instinto y 'bárbaros', excluyéndolos completamente de los proyectos de modernización del país.
Pedro Páramo is oftentimes considered one of the most groundbreaking novels in Latin America. As ... more Pedro Páramo is oftentimes considered one of the most groundbreaking novels in Latin America. As a central part of the novel, critics have largely focused on the presence of classical, indigenous, and Nordic myths in Rulfo’s production. However, there are two classical myths—the myth of Oedipus and the myth of the birth of Aphrodite/Venus—that I propose are present in Pedro Páramo, but that have received little or no attention from scholars. In this article, I will analyze these two myths and examine how Rulfo transformed them in order to adapt them to Mexico’s revolutionary and post-revolutionary period.
de Nicolás Guillén, publicada por La Verónica en 1942. La Verónica (La Habana 1939-1942, editoria... more de Nicolás Guillén, publicada por La Verónica en 1942. La Verónica (La Habana 1939-1942, editorial fundada por el poeta, escritor y editor malagueño Manuel Altolaguirre y por su esposa, la poeta, escritora y dramaturga madrileña, Concha Méndez, tuvo una vida breve pero intensa. Aunque sólo se mantuvo activa en Cuba por cuatro años (antes de trasladarse a México con su fundador), La Verónica fue una de las editoriales cubanas más importantes de su época y se convirtió en la portavoz de los ideales republicanos de los exiliados españoles que residían en la isla. Según anota Juan Marinello, célebre escritor y político cubano, mediante La Verónica "[m]ientras hubo balas, Altolaguirre fue impresor sin imprenta de la República" (82). La Verónica, cuyo nombre se basa en la bíblica mujer que tendió un lienzo a Cristo durante el Viacrucis y sobre el cual quedó impresa la forma de su cara, fue una editorial versátil y ecléctica desde sus orígenes. Incluso años más tarde, Altolaguirre retomaría el nombre para bautizar una de sus revistas editada en 1942, que solamente contaría con seis números. Como anota Cristóbal Montilla, en el nombre de la editorial Altolaguirre "veía el germen de la impresión tipográfica" (Montilla). En Memorias habladas, memorias armadas (1990), libro de memorias grabado por Paloma Ulacia Altolaguirre, Concha Méndez nos cuenta que la apertura del taller de imprenta y la editorial La Verónica fue posible gracias a una donación de quinientos dólares hecha al matrimonio Altolaguirre por una señora de la alta sociedad cubana (110), enterada de la precaria situación económica de la pareja española. Dicho monto permitió de Sóngoro Cosongo (1931; 1942) de Nicolás Guillén y una edición de Cuentos negros de Cuba (1940) de Lydia Cabrera. Como podemos ver, durante sus cuatro años de vida, La Verónica fue una de las editoriales más activas e importantes de Cuba, destacándose por su producción variada y por su compromiso social. A la par de publicaciones literarias, la imprenta de Altolaguirre y Méndez se empeñó filosófica y políticamente, llegando a editar e imprimir más de doscientos títulos.
Todo acto de civilización es también un acto de barbarie.
Inventario secreto de La Habana y Le città invisibili" "Ma la città non dice il suo passato, lo c... more Inventario secreto de La Habana y Le città invisibili" "Ma la città non dice il suo passato, lo contiene come le linee di una mano, scritto negli spigoli delle vie, nelle griglie delle finestre, negli scorrimano delle scale, nelle antenne dei parafulmini, nelle aste delle bandiere (…)" Italo Calvino, Le città invisibili Los cementerios son lugares presentes en todas las sociedades occidentales. En la mayoría de los casos estos sitios son vistos de manera negativa porque representan la muerte. Sin embargo, para un sinnúmero de personas, el cementerio no representa solamente el fallecimiento de una persona, sino se le da un significado completamente diferente. Es en este momento que el camposanto se transforma en una heterotopía. El término 'heterotopía' es una palabra reciente, creada por el historiador y filósofo francés Michel Foucault. La etimología de esta palabra está formada por dos palabras griegas: 'hetero', que significa 'otro', y 'topos', que significa 'lugar'. Por eso, aunque este término no esté oficialmente en el diccionario de la lengua española, se puede comprender que el significado de 'heterotopía' es precisamente el de 'espacio otro'. A lo largo de este ensayo me enfocaré en la heterotopía del cementerio (a la cual Foucault dedica mucho espacio) mostrando al mismo tiempo la presencia y la importancia que dicha heterotopía tiene en dos obras del siglo XX y XXI: La obra cubana Inventario secreto de La Habana 1 por Abilio Estévez y Le città invisibili por el italiano Italo
Bridges have been a means of communication for people since the Roman times, allowing for easier ... more Bridges have been a means of communication for people since the Roman times, allowing for easier movements between one place and another. With time, physical bridges evolved architecturally and aesthetically; moreover, the idea of ‘bridging’ also developed, merging two or more entities that apparently were not connected. The Mallorcan author Carme Riera uses precisely this idea of ‘bridging’ in one of her masterpiece novels, En el último azul (1994). Although recounting primarily the story of the Jews in Mallorca during the Inquisition, Riera also plays with the idea of bridges, both from a literal and metaphorical point of view.
The two types of bridges that I will analyze in this essay are the “broken bridge” between Mallorca and Livorno (the Italian city to which the Jews wanted to flee in order to escape the Inquisition, although failing to do so) and the metaphorical bridge that the author creates between Mallorca’s past and present. Riera herself explains in the novel that although the characters are fictitious, the main historical events in the novel are true. In fact, Riera did not want to create a historical novel, but a work of fiction; however, she also did not want the people of today’s Mallorca to forget about the past and the terrible death and torture of the many thousands of Jews who lived on the island.
Carme Riera toys with the idea of bridges, presenting to her readers two different types of connector: a real, yet broken, bridge between Mallorca and Livorno, and a metaphorical bridge between the events of the past and the reality of the present in Mallorca.
Book Reviews by Jennifer Monti, Ph.D.
Uploads
Papers by Jennifer Monti, Ph.D.
The two types of bridges that I will analyze in this essay are the “broken bridge” between Mallorca and Livorno (the Italian city to which the Jews wanted to flee in order to escape the Inquisition, although failing to do so) and the metaphorical bridge that the author creates between Mallorca’s past and present. Riera herself explains in the novel that although the characters are fictitious, the main historical events in the novel are true. In fact, Riera did not want to create a historical novel, but a work of fiction; however, she also did not want the people of today’s Mallorca to forget about the past and the terrible death and torture of the many thousands of Jews who lived on the island.
Carme Riera toys with the idea of bridges, presenting to her readers two different types of connector: a real, yet broken, bridge between Mallorca and Livorno, and a metaphorical bridge between the events of the past and the reality of the present in Mallorca.
Book Reviews by Jennifer Monti, Ph.D.
The two types of bridges that I will analyze in this essay are the “broken bridge” between Mallorca and Livorno (the Italian city to which the Jews wanted to flee in order to escape the Inquisition, although failing to do so) and the metaphorical bridge that the author creates between Mallorca’s past and present. Riera herself explains in the novel that although the characters are fictitious, the main historical events in the novel are true. In fact, Riera did not want to create a historical novel, but a work of fiction; however, she also did not want the people of today’s Mallorca to forget about the past and the terrible death and torture of the many thousands of Jews who lived on the island.
Carme Riera toys with the idea of bridges, presenting to her readers two different types of connector: a real, yet broken, bridge between Mallorca and Livorno, and a metaphorical bridge between the events of the past and the reality of the present in Mallorca.