Sobre el
autor y la obra
-
Puig
o
Argentina, 1932-1990
o
Lived
in exile for most of life, in Mexico
o
Fascination
with cinema and popular culture
o
Writer
of post-boom
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This
text is part of post-boom movement
-
Puig’s
works are often seen as transitional between boom and post-boom
Comps Example Questions
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Boom,
realismo mágico, and lo real maravilloso; postboom and neobarroco; precursors; modernity (see
the “Modernismo since 1940” section of list) and the controversy over
postmodernity in Spanish America. Authors: Borges, Huidobro, García
Márquez, Rulfo, Carpentier Asturias, Cortázar, Allende, Puig, Sarduy, Fuentes,
Poniatowska, Valenzuela. Note:
other movements which are associated with some of these writers, such as
surrealism (Cortázar) or the use of popular culture and other genres in
narrative (Puig), etc. Some suggested, secondary readings: Rodríguez Monegal,
Shaw, González Echevarría, Hutcheon.
-
Metafiction
and historiographic metafiction: Borges, Huidobro, Puig, Allende, Sarduy,
Valenzuela, Vargas Llosa, etc. Some suggested, secondary readings: Waugh,
Hutcheon, Juan-Navarro.
-
The
development of Spanish American identity and issues of race, class, and gender
in numerous authors, from modernismo
to the present (although they occur earlier as well). Authors: Agustini,
Arguedas, Argueta, Storni, Burgos, Castellanos, Cardenal, Ferré, Berman, Álvarez,
Williams, Puig, Barba Jacob, Sarduy, Menchú, Alzandúa, Paz, Fernández Retamar,
Galeano, Rama, etc. Some suggested readings: Foster and Altamiranda, Cornejo
Polar, Meyer, Castillo, Stabb, Martin, Kaminsky, Beverly and others under testimonio.
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Narrative
of dictatorship in the Southern Cone and the guerra sucia. Authors: Puig, Allende, Valenzuela.
What Franco says about the
work (An Intro to Spanish-American Lit,
Chapter 11)
-
His best-known work
-
Most
overtly political work, “referring specifically to the early stages of the
‘dirty war’ between the Argentine state and the guerrilla movement” (340)
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Concern
with sexual politics, “particularly the constitution of homosexuality within
the predominantly masculinist and patriarchal state culture” (340)
-
Summary – pg. 340-341
What Cambridge Companion: Latin American Novel says about the work
(Chapter 4, pg. 87)
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Puig’s
most famous, and more explicitly political novel
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Incorporation
of popular mass culture; both praises and criticizes it
-
Brief summary – pg. 87
-
Two
protagonists contrast against each other; one represents “serious” culture and
the other represents “popular” culture
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Focus
on sexual message: idea that sexual repression is at the heart of all
repression
-
Problematizes
the relationship between fiction and reality (like a Boom novel in this sense)
Basic idea of text (Wikipedia)
The
novel's form is unusual in that there is no traditional narrative voice, one of
the primary features of fiction. It is written in large part as dialogue,
without any indication of who is speaking, except for a dash (-) to show a
change of speaker. There are also parts of stream of consciousness. What is not
written as dialogue or stream of consciousness is written as metafictional
government documentation. The conversations between the characters, when not
focused on the moment at hand, are recountings of films that Molina has seen,
which act as a form of escape from their environment. Thus there are a main
plot, several subplots, and five additional stories that comprise the novel.
The
author includes a long series of footnotes on the psychoanalytic theory of homosexuality.
The footnotes act largely as a representation of Puig's political intention in
writing the novel: to present an objective view of homosexuality. The
footnotes include both factual information and that given by the fictional
Anelli Taub. The footnotes tend to appear at points of the greatest
misunderstanding between Molina and Valentín.
The
novel can be read as an indictment of a disengaged aesthetic perspective in the
context of a world where people have to take sides. Valentín, the Marxist
protagonist, has risked his life and willingly endured torture for a political
cause, and his example helps transform his cell-mate into a citizen, someone
who will enter the world. Likewise, Molina's love of aesthetics and cultural
life teaches Valentín that escapism can have a powerfully utopian purpose in
life: escapism can be just as subversive and meaningful as overt political
activity.
Characters
-
Molina-
One of the protagonists and the prime story teller. He is a gay window dresser
put into prison for having "sex with a minor".
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Valentín-
The other protagonist, and main implied listener. He is a revolutionary who is
put into prison for belonging to a leftist organization that is trying to
overthrow the government.
-
The
Warden- The warden is one of the antagonists in the novel. He sets up Molina to
spy and retrieve information from Valentín and gets regular reports about it.
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Gabriel-
The waiter that Molina befriends and acts as Molina's main love interest
throughout the novel.
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Marta-
Marta is the love interest of Valentín that he lost in order to remain serious
about his organization. She only appears in memories and streams of
consciousness in the novel, but never physically.
Plot summary (Wikipedia)
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Two
prisoners, Luis Molina and Valentín Arregui, share a cell in a Buenos Aires
Prison. It is estimated that the timeframe in which the story takes place is
between September 9, 1975 through October 8, 1975. Molina, an effeminate gay window-dresser, is
in jail for "corruption of a minor," while Valentín is a political
prisoner who is part of a revolutionary group trying to overthrow the
government. The two men, seemingly opposites in every way, form an intimate
bond in their cell, and their relationship changes both of them in profound
ways. Molina recounts various films he has seen to Valentín in order for them
both to forget their situation. Toward the middle of the novel the reader finds
out that Molina is actually a spy that is sent to Valentín's jail to befriend
him and try to extract information about his organization. Molina gets
provisions from the outside for his cooperation with the officials with the
hopes of keeping up appearances that his mother comes to visit him (thus making
a reason for him to leave the cell when he reports to the warden). It is
through his general acts of kindness to Valentín that the two fall into a
romance and become lovers however briefly. For his cooperation Molina is
parolled. On the day he leaves, Valentin has him take a message to his
revolutionary group outside. Little does he know that he is also being followed
by government agents, trying to find the location of the group. Molina dies in
a shootout between the police and Valentín's group. In the end of the novel we
are left in Valentín's stream of consciousness after he has been given an
anesthetic by a doctor following a brutal torture, in which he imagines himself
sailing away with his beloved Marta.
-
The
first story is based on a movie that Molina recounts and opens the novel with,
based on Cat People (1942). During the narration, the reader finds out
that Valentín sympathizes with the secretary because of his long lost love,
Marta.
-
The
second story that is recounted by Molina is based on a Nazi propaganda film.
Unlike the first subplot, it is unclear whether or not this is an actual movie.
This story is believed to be a composite of multiple Nazi films and an American
film called Paris Underground (1945). Molina tells a long
story of an old Nazi film, a French woman falls in love with a noble Aryan
officer and then dies in his arms after being shot by the French resistance.
The film is a clear piece of Nazi propaganda, but Molina's disinclination to
see past its superficial charms is a symptom of his alienation from society, or
at least his choice to disengage from the world that has rejected him.
-
The
third film is about a young revolutionary with a penchant for racing cars. He
meets a sultry older woman and they get to know each other. The kid's father
gets kidnapped by some guerrillas and the kid goes to save him, with the aid of
the sultry older woman. The father ends up dying in a shootout with some
police. The kid ends up staying with the guerrillas. One important note to make
here is that the way the father dies is very similar to Molina's own ending in
which he dies in a shootout between cops and Valentín's comrades.
-
Based
on the film I Walked with a Zombie (1943), the fourth story concerns a
rich man who marries a woman and brings her to his island. On the island she
finds out that a witch doctor has the ability to turn people into zombies. As
it progresses we find out that her husband's original wife was seduced by the
witch doctor and turned into a zombie. He ends up telling his ex-wife he loves
her, but is ultimately killed by the witch doctor. In the end the main
character sails away from the island. this is similar to the end of the book as
Valentín sails away in his conscious
-
The
fifth story is a recounting of a love story in which a newspaper man falls in
love with the wife of a Mafia boss. Love struck, he stops his newspaper from
running a potentially damaging story about the woman. They run away together,
but can find no work. She prostitutes herself when he becomes too ill. Valentín
is forced to finish the story despite Molina recounting it. In the end the man dies
and the woman ends up sailing away. The way that Valentín chooses to have the
story end is very similar to what happens in his stream of consciousness
narrative in the end.
Themes / Important ideas
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Influence
of post-boom
o
Parodic
tone
o
Poetic
expression
o
Incorporation
of popular culture (films) – cinematographical elements
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Postmodernism
o
Popular
culture references
o
Intertextuality
– use of footnotes, for example
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Experimental
writing style
o
No
true narrator
o
Importance
of dialogue – reader learns everything from dialogue
o
Russian
dolls / Chinese box writing strategy – story within a story
o
Use
of footnotes
o
Stream-of-consciousness
writing at times
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Sexuality
o
Homosexuality
o
Questioning
of sexuality
o
Idea
of sexuality as a social construct
o
Use
of term “queer”
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Metafiction
o
In
construction of characters
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Social/political
context
o
Dictatorship
in Argentina
Random ideas
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Absence
of narrative voice; dialogue+monologue+stream of conscious+metafictional
government documentation+stories of film
-
Main
plot, subplot and 5 more stories in the novel
-
long
footnotes (factual and fictional) on psychoanalytic theory of homosexuality-political
inention: present objective view of homosexuality
-
Novel
can be read as indictment of a disengaged aesthetic perspective in the context
of a world where ppl have to take sides.
-
e.g.
Valentín, the Marxist protagonist, has risked his life and willingly endured
torture for a political cause, and his example helps transform his cell-mate
into a citizen, someone who will enter the world. Likewise, Molina's love of
aesthetics and cultural life teaches Valentín that escapism can have a
powerfully utopian purpose in life: escapism can be just as subversive and
meaningful as overt political activity.
A few notes
from an old reseña I found:
-
In
the direct dialogue between Molina and Valentin, no narrator announces who is
speaking.
-
Stories
of films take up the majority of the chapters. Molina chooses the films, which
show “una gran diferencia de mundos que se mueven en el homosexual y el
politico”, but they also provide a starting point for shared experiences,
conversations.
-
4
lengthy monologues that show perspective of the politico
-
Reason for the title:
En el capítulo 14 Molina le pide un beso a Valentín, pero éste se lo niega diciéndole
a Molina que si lo besaba el se podía convertir en una mujer pantera y de ese
modo matarlo. Pero a Molina no le gustó debido a que mataba gente, entonces él
la llama con el nombre de mujer araña porque envuelve a los hombres con su tela
y a Molina le encantó y por eso se lo llama al libro de ese modo, por el beso
de la mujer araña o sea Molina.
General Notes from reading
Ch. 1
-
They’re
discussing the story of a panther in the zoo. Woman is drawing the panther, a
man comes to visit (Maybe this is one of the movies?) Later, man goes to art
exhibit of someone who only draws panthers. He meets up with the lady, they go
to lunch…
-
Guy
says he can’t remember the rest of the movie.
-
Then,
goes back to telling about the movie. Guy and girl are in a bird
shop…continues. Then again, he stops, can’t remember. Now, back to film, guy
and girl are getting married.
-
Men interact during movie telling- “No,
me gusta la pelí, pero es que vos te divertís contándola y por ahí también
quiero intervenir un poco…”
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First
man says he’s in for corrupción de menores.
-
Keeps
telling about movie. Valentín asks who Molina identifies with. M says, “Yo siempre con la heroina”.
Ch 2.
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Molina cooks for Valentín. V: “no creo
en eso de vivir el momento”…Lo primero es la revolución social, lo secundario
son los placeres de los sentidos.” Explains he’s a Marxist.
-
Molina
says if all men were like women, there would be no torture.
-
Valentín explains movie…it’s like a
clear allegroy-del miedo de la mujer a entregarse al hombre, porque al
entregarse al sexo, se vuelve un poco animal.
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Valentín
has a girlfriend on the outside.
-
(It’s
clear these two characters are different, but they seem to respect on another.
V. enjoys that M. tells the stories, etc)
-
They
talk about their relationships; M. believes in life-long love, wants to marry a
man. V. doesn’t believe in that (his gf’s parents had had a bad relationship,
she’d been with another guy, had an abortion, wanted to be a working woman,
etc).
Ch. 3
-
Next
film, takes place in France, WWII, Nazi occupation. M. mentions that he saw
this movie in Buenos Aires, though during the war there, the only films were
propaganda. (Summary of this film, according to Wikipedia: Molina tells a long
story of an old Nazi film, a French woman falls in love with a noble Aryan
officer and then dies in his arms after being shot by the French resistance.
The film is a clear piece of Nazi propaganda, but Molina's disinclination to
see past its superficial charms is a symptom of his
alienation from society, or at least his choice to disengage from the world
that has rejected him.)
-
M.
and V. talk midway through the movie V tells M they’re both hombres; no
establezcas distancias. V. wants to know about M.’s love interest because he
says he knows very little about “people of your inclination” For M, being a man
is being lindo, fuerte, pero no alharaca de fuerza. For Valentin, being a man
is no rebajar a nadie.
Ch. 4.
-
Recounting
sad end of movie, lovers being carried away by the wind.
-
One
of the guys daydreams a lot. The other responds to him: Puede ser un
vicio escaparse así de la realidad, es como una droga. Porque escúchame, tu
realidad no es solamente esta celda. Si estás leyendo algo, estudiando algo, no
es solamente esta celda.
-
V.
is an atheist. (Long footnotes coming up. I am not reading them.)
-
V
and M get dinner…one gets only half as much as the other. They both try to give
the bigger plate to the other one. M. gets a killer stomachache. Then, to
distract himself, M keeps telling store of Nazi film. Then, V
says, “Si hablas en femenino, es porque ya se te pasó el dolor.”
Ch. 5
-
M
is slowly getting better (but doesn’t want to go to the nurse) . Says he wants
to see his mom. Valentín keeps up his reading (escapism).
-
Then, italicised writing (maybe
stream-of-consciousness- fragment: “Estallido de la guerra en 1914, muerte del
novio en el frente, todo preparado; la casita de piedra en el bosque, un ajuar
hermoso…”) V. is
reading a book on political philosophy. V and M seem to disagree about the role
of honest men in politics (either they get involved or they don’t)
-
Molina’s
stream of consc., addressed to his mom, who is ill, but wants to survive the
7-8 years it will take for her son to get out of prison.
-
By
the end of chapter, though things are not exactly peachy between M and V, they
tolerate one another.
Ch. 6
-
M.
had sworn he wouldn’t tell another movie, but he’s going to. V. begins to talk
about “el movimiento” Story that starts
with Le Mans car racing…rich, south American boy is racing a car, but someone
messes with his engine. His car is broken. His dad is reluctant to give him
money to fix it, but decides it’s worth it. Kid is still upset, goes out
partying in Monte Carlo…. Third film: The third film is about a young
revolutionary with a penchant for racing cars. He meets a sultry older woman
and they get to know each other. The kid's father gets kidnapped by some
guerrillas and the kid goes to save him, with the aid of the sultry older
woman. The father ends up dying in a shootout with some police. The kid ends up
staying with the guerrillas. One important note to make here is that the way
the father dies is very similar to Molina's own ending in which he dies in a
shootout between cops and Valentín's comrades.
-
Back
to M and V talking (possible moment of something something here?) V talks about
his mom, woman with 2nd tier aristocratic name, doesn’t like his
ideas.
-
Long
discourse of “una madre que…”….Tells the story of his European mother, his
father who takes advantage of his workers (and a mestiza muchacha)
-
at
the end of the chapter, M tells V not to tell him anything about his politics
because they could interrogate him.
Ch. 7
-
V.
receives a card from abuela, written in code, which V. explains to M. sad story
of man killing own family because he's embarrassed to have un hijo medio
indio (issues of race)
Ch. 8.
-
Format
is legal doc, explains their entries into prison. Molina:
buena conducta, V: reprobable. M goes and talks w/director, who tells him his mom is well.
(Side note: he had been feeling really sick because they're had been some
poison in his food...though it was targeted for V!) Director is going to make
him a pack of food, as if he'd visited his mom.
Ch. 9:
-
M.
shares food with V. Start of 4th movie.
-
Here’s
the 4th film: (wiki summary)
-
Based
on the film I Walked with a Zombie (1943), the fourth story
concerns a rich man who marries a woman and brings her to his island. On the
island she finds out that a witch doctor has the ability to turn people into
zombies. As it progresses we find out that her husband's original wife was
seduced by the witch doctor and turned into a zombie. He ends up telling his ex
wife he loves her, but is ultimately killed by the witch doctor. In the end the
main character sails away from the island. this is similar to the end of the
book as Valentín sails away in his conscious..
.....
Ch. 10
-
M
and V continue to take care of one another ("mientras estuve enfermo, si
no era por vos, quién sabe dónde hubiese ido a parar"), keep telling the
movie plot (the end of zombie film)
Ch. 14
-
Director
gets the feeling that M "no está actuando limpio conmigo"...wondering
if Molina has gone to "their" side.
-
Interview,
M. and director. M isn't getting any help for good behavior, requests to stay
in V's cell "to get more info". M goes back to cell (without any food
packet like before) and notes that they're letting him go free the next
day. V is really happy for him but M is sad to leave him all alone. V
wants to recruit him to help. M says that all of this makes him nervous. Says
he's sad (these seem like typical female traits of
"weakness") Finishes telling movie...
-
V.
tells M “life can be short or long; nothing is forever. I’ll miss you.” M asks
him for a kiss….M insists he’s not the panther woman because no one can
kiss her. Rather, he’s the spider woman, who traps men in his web.
Ch. 15
-
Informe
sobre M. Reports that he says anything mentioned about sexual relations in the
prison is false.
-
Follow
him the next day to the dry cleaners, tobacco shop. Follow him kissing a girl
on the cheeks "con visible emoción". Notes that he turned around,
noticed he was being followed. They later listened in on a phone call...noted
he called someone named Gabriel, supposedly in a restaurant.
-
More
police reports…M goes to bank, takes out the majority of his money….Then, they
keep following him and detain him again. M. is killed (“expiró antes de que
first aid could arrive”) …”Los extremistas prefirieron eliminar a Molina para
que no pudiese confesar”
Ch. 16
-
V.
is three days without eating, third degree burns, given morphine. V's stream of
conscious starts talking to Marta- "dónde estás? cuándo llegaste?"...hallucinates...sees
a desert, then a sea. Mis párpados pesan tanto...
-
"Yes, my cell mate died y sí fue
culpa mía, y si no me da vergüenza de haberle traído tanta mala suerte....yo
creo que se dejó matar porque así se moría como la heroína de una película."
wants to float away with Marta...
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