Introduction:
For the purpose of this proposed research, I will focus on elucidating the phenomenon denoted as the Latin American ‘Boom’, a term given to the explosive growth in the popularity of Latin American fiction that took place during the 1960s and 1970s. Through this research, I seek to demonstrate the significance of the Boom phenomenon in Latin American literature, as well as, analyze the narrative techniques and literary devices in the creative process of four of the major contributors of the Boom: Mexico’s Carlos Fuentes, Argentina’s Julio Cortázar, Colombia’s Gabriel García-Márquez, and Peru’s Mario Vargas Llosa.
According to Ronald Christ in the foreword to Jose Donoso‘s The Boom in Spanish American Literature: A Personal History (1972) the term ‘Boom’ refers to, “A sudden flowering of writers‘ in the sixties, who won a greater deal of attention because they began, almost at once, to be translated into foreign languages and to put Latin America – with some kind of unity – on the international literary map for the first time” (99). However, other than being published in the same lapse of time, there’s not one single theme that encapsulates the Boom. In fact, the term ‘boom’ does not sufficiently explain the varied esthetic that distinguishes the narrative production of the literary movement. Yet, it does manifest the explosion of activity and creativeness that defines this field of fictional Latin American prose. The narrative of the Boom is almost impossible to characterize, seeing as it does not focus on a specific ideology or subject. (Rodriguéz 847). Each contributor of the Boom used literary devices to experiment and create their own literary universe.
Perhaps the most unifying element as seen by the Boom can be in the writers’ insatiable need to narrate in new and distinctive ways. Boom writers explored Latin American reality by means of experimental narrative forms. Many of which were interested in breaking away from the traditional Latin American literary scene. Boom writers were also immersed in the turbulent political times of Latin America between the 60s and 70s, a critical time in which they saw themselves as public intellectuals and their works as pieces in that struggle.
The break with traditional aesthetics introduced several radical elements in the fictional prose. The Boom can most notably be familiarized with the fantastic and the magical realism genres, which are the most essential elements of the Latin American Boom phenomenon. Boom writers depicted realistic, and even historical events, by means of narrative devices that used fantastic characters, settings, or objects in their writing. Another characteristic of the Boom narratives is a chronological alteration of events, in which the occurrences of a novel are not organized in the order they transpired.
Research Questions:
Ultimately, the long term goal of this research will seek to investigate the following questions: What significance did the Boom phenomenon have on Latin American and global literature? How can Latin American literature be compared before and after the Boom period? What narrative techniques and literary devices define and characterize the Boom? What exactly caused the Boom to generate so much international commercial success? Apart from Fuentes, Cortázar, García-Márquez, and Vargas Llosa, who were the other contributors that helped establish the 60s and 70s as the Boom of Latin American literature? How did the writers of the Boom influence each other’s works? How do the Latin American and international politics of the time come into play? What events transpired the demise of the Boom phenomenon? What literary shift occurred during the 1980s and 1990s, a period often referred to as the Post-Boom?
Methodology:
By analyzing and interpreting the literary works of some of the most distinguished Latin American authors of the 1960s, I seek to understand the impact the Boom phenomenon had on Latin America in the world. In my investigation, I will study each of the pieces that are now considered the epicentre of the Boom, such as Fuentes’ The Death of Artemio Cruz, Cortazar’s Hopscotch, García-Márquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Vargas Llosa’s Time of the Hero, and analyze each author’s writing style based on their use of narrative techniques and literary devices in their respective works.
Significance and broader impact:
The significance of this research lies in understanding the literary works of some of the most renowned Latin American writers and their influence around the world. After all, Boom works tend not to focus on social and local issues, but rather on universal themes. Many of the Boom novels were rebellious from the general point of view of Latin American culture in the sense that, through their narratives, writers from this period challenged the established institutions of their respective countries in times of political turmoil.
In addressing the questions aforementioned, I seek to expand on the existing knowledge of the literature field, especifically on works written by Latin American authors in the 60s and 70s. This research will focus on exploring what prompted Boom authors to cross traditional boundaries, experiment with language, and often mix different styles of writing in their works.
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