El Cuarto de Atrás, Carmen Martín Gaite, Spanish novel, social criticism, political criticism, history, memory, political manipulation, freedom, politics
As part of a course on "The battle of memory in the contemporary Spanish novel", the document comments on the novel El Cuarto de Atrás by Carmen Martin Gaité.
The novel El Cuarto de Atrás was written by Carmen Martín Gaite and was published in 1978. The work is a unique combination of literary genres, including elements of historical novels, essays, and metafiction. Topics such as memory, history, literature and identity are explored. The author criticizes the Spanish political reality, rescuing her childhood and adolescence, where she witnessed the war and post-war era.
[...] - Franco's death as a starting point. Without a doubt, the death of the dictator marked the beginning of a new era: "Se acabó, nunca más, el tiempo se desbloqueaba, había desaparecido el encargado de atarlo y presidirlo, Franco inaugurando fábricas y pantanos, dictando penas de muerte ? se volvió a ver la tumba abierta, «lo van a enterrar», pensaba" escondite inglés", 69). And specifically in the literary field it marked the beginning of the liberation of the word: "Desde la muerte de Franco habrá notado cómo proliferan los libros de memorias, ya es una peste" (El escondite inglés, 64). [...]
[...] parecía que la enfermedad y la muerte jamás podrían alcanzarlo" escondite inglés", 67). - Rejection of the established order and desire for freedom. The author shows her disagreement with political manipulation and the desire for freedom emerges in her: "Bajo el machaconeo de aquella propaganda ñoña y optimista de los años cuarenta, se perfiló mi desconfianza hacia los seres decididos y seguros, crecieron mis ansias de libertad y se afianzó la alianza con el desorden" (Ven pronto a Cúnigan, 46). [...]
[...] - Through retrospection she makes a fusion of real discourse (the political and social through memory), and dreamlike discourse, and thus subverts the established tradition through fantasy. "yo entonces aborrecía la historia y además no me la creía, nada de lo que venía en los libros de historia ni en los periódicos ? estaba harta de oír la palabra fusilado, la palabra víctima, la palabra tirano, la palabra militares, la palabra patria, la palabra historia" sombrero negro", 25). - Influence on the life of the protagonist of the great historical dates related to great events that occurred in Spanish political and social life, which left a symbolic mark on the discourse of the author's life: "yo nací en plena Dictadura de Primo de Rivera, el 8 de diciembre de 1925, el mismo día que murieron Pablo Iglesias y Antonio Maura" escondite inglés", 65). [...]
[...] In conclusion, the novel could be thought to open up space for political dialogue to the extent that the protagonist addresses layers of meaning and symbolism that place her in different historical moments in Spain. The construction of her personal identity is related to the collective history of the country. Through characters and situations, Gaite invites readers to reflect on historical memory and how political decisions affected society. Finally, it is shown how politics can be addressed and questioned through the art of literature. [...]
[...] - Connection between her personal experience and the social historical version. The author associates her personal testimony with collective history. In fact, she evokes the dictator's daughter, Carmencita Franco, to identify her as another victim of the political situation: "vi que la comitiva fúnebre llegaba al Valle de los Caídos y que aparecía en pantalla Carmencita Franco . hemos crecido y vivido en los mismos años, ella era hija de un militar de provincias, hemos sido víctimas de las mismas modas y costumbres, hemos leído las mismas revistas y visto el mismo cine ? [...]
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