Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies

Early Spanish American Narrative by Naomi LindstromReview by: Errol KingArizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies, Vol. 11 (2007), pp. 218-219Published by: Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20641865 .

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218 Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies

of the films focuses on the performative rather than on the discursive as this is the space where subversion can be found.

From this standpoint Marsh discredits the traditional classification of comedy as an

escapist and conservative genre. He thinks this classification is driven by a discursive analysis of the genre rather than a non-discursive one. For

this reason, in his interpretation of the films he chooses de Certeau's theories of non-discursive

ness. The concepts of tactic and strategy help him to relate the films analyzed in this book to

everyday life. Moreover, this connection allows

him to identify spaces of resistance in these films, as understood by Gramscian thinking, keeping in mind at all times the proximity between consent and contestation.

Films studied in Popular Spanish Film under Franco cover the period from 1942 to

1964. The seven chapters of this book analyze the works of five representative filmmakers from these years: Jeronimo Mihura, Edgar Neville, Luis Garcia Berlanga, Marco Ferreri, and Fer

nando Fernan Gomez. All the chapters follow the same structure: A theoretical introduction to

concepts that the author later uses in his reading of a film. The first chapter, which gives its name to the subtitle of the book, is a theoretical reflec tion on Gramsci's theory that is brought up to examine consent and the role of subaltern groups in the construction of unity. Jeronimo Mihuras Castillo de naipes (1943) and Mi adorado Juan (1949) exemplify how subaltern discourse can

emerge within the hegemonic culture.

The films of Edgar Neville and Luis Gar cia Berlanga, which Marsh considers the most canonical ones, are studied in chapters 2 through 5. Space plays an important role in the reading of these films. Neville's La vida en un hilo (1945) and Berlanga's jBienvenido Mr. Marshall! (1952) present an idea of village that can be extrapolated to the configuration of Spain as a nation. Madrid is the scenario of Neville's trilogy formed by La torre de los siete jorobados (1944), El crimen de la calle Bordadores (1946), and Domingo de carnaval

(1945). The city falls into de Certeau's idea of

palimpsestic cities, where ancient scars can be

found in present cities.

The interpretation of Berlangas films as subversive has always been problematic. Marsh

makes a brilliant interpretation of the ideological aspects found in his films. In the most elaborated

analysis of the book he offers through the ex

ploration of the non-discursiveness a reading of subversion in jBienvenido Mr. Marshall!. Likewise,

using Bakhtinian theories of the popular, he finds a carnavalization of the hegemonic power in Placido (1961) and in Elverdugo (1963).

The last two chapters of Popular Spanish Film under Franco are linked by its attention to consumption. Chapter six explores ersatz

economy?understood as the one based on

leftovers, substitution or the counterfeit?in

Marco Ferreri's Elpisito (1958) and Elcochecito

(1960). Subalterns's cravings can only be satisfied

by the leftovers of the dominant discourse. On the other hand, dress is analyzed in Fernando Fern?n Gomez's El extrano viaje (1964) as a central motif that sets up the film's parody of a

travestied national identity. The final chapter, offered as a coda,

vindicates comedy as an ideological field. Com ics deliver their message with the body, thus

highlighting the non-discursive aspects of their

message. For this reason comedy is a more apt

genre through which to smuggle the subversive

message. This is a stimulating book that paves the way for further research on comedy in the

ideological arena.

David Rodriguez-Solas The Graduate Center-City University of New York

Early Spanish American Narrative

University of Texas Press, 2004

By Naomi Lindstrom

In the introduction to her study of early Spanish American narrative, Naomi Lindstrom

sets parameters to guide the reader and briefly explain the scope of the study. She presents the material in chronological order, generally based on the time of its writing. The study discusses

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Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 219

prose narrative dating back to Christopher Columbus's first voyage and concludes at the end of the 19th century. The first texts dealing with the arrival of Columbus and the ensuing Conquest generally deal with historical events.

Lindstrom addresses possible motives that the

different authors may have had for writing about their experiences

as well as the compet

ing viewpoints. Though the accounts focus on

historical events, Lindstrom includes them in

her study because of their narrative value. Each of the different authors, whether they sought to

publish their works, narrates the historical events

of the time period. As the study moves into the eighteenth

century, Lindstrom notes the scarcity of narrative

worth noting, particularly due to the ban that

Spain imposed on the novel in the New World colonies. In order to smoothly transition from the

description of historical narratives that provide their own context to fictional prose narrative, she

continues to supply a context for the writings of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. She

particularly focuses on the shift in themes as

Spanish American narrative initially deals with the Conquest but later addresses the campaign for independence. Following the independence

movement of the early nineteenth century, the

focus shifts again, but this time it centers on

nation-building and developing an identity. For the latter half of the work, Lindstrom addresses the different movements and tendencies evident

in prose narratives written after the wars of inde

pendence, particularly novels. The rapid increase of publications in the latter half of the nineteenth

century presents a particular problem for this

study. Lindstrom manages to describe the first

350 years of Spanish American narrative in the first 108 pages. The book effectively introduces the works up until the mid-nineteenth century before categorizing the ensuing prose narratives

within different movements that surfaced dur

ing the latter half of the century. The final 50

years covered by the study fill nearly 100 pages, yet Lindstrom admits that she can only address a sampling of these works since the number of

prose narratives published during this time period far outnumbered their predecessors.

Lindstrom's overview of early Spanish American narrative admirably presents a topic that could fill volumes. She succinctly addresses a large corpus of Spanish American narrative in a manner that builds a context for each of the works. Consequently, the study is ideal for

university courses focusing on Latin American

prose or for those who would like to develop a

foundational knowledge of the works in order to guide their future studies. Although other studies may offer more detailed descriptions and

analyses of Spanish American narrative dating from the colonial period until 1900, few offer such a

manageable and concise overview. The

thorough research that has gone into writing this book makes it an asset to any library, personal or public.

Errol King The University of Arizona

Angeles Mastretta: Textual Multiplicity Tamesis, 2005

By Jane Elizabeth Lavery

Within the academic field, the fre

quently inverted relationship between a book's market success and its purported literary value offers critics?like Jane Elizabeth Lavery?the

opportunity to reconsider authors works that,

within certain circles, have been written off as

"light" or "easy literature"?such as those by

Mexican author Angeles Mastretta (Puebla,

1949). The publication of the monographic study Angeles Mastretta: Textual Multiplicity is

Lavery's endeavor to "demonstrate the rich com

plexity and range of Mastretta s narratives" which are "underpinned by serious intent, fulfilling social and documentary functions" (4). In five of the six chapters that comprise this investigation, Lavery focuses primarily

on Mastretta's major

novels, Arrdncame la vida (1985) and Mal de amores (1996), seeking to read them in the in

tersection of a "multiplicity" of historic, cultural and literary contexts: the Mexican revolution

ary novel, testimonial narrative, new historical

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