Cruz-Grunerth, Gerardo (2014) “Deep Literature and Dirty Realism: Rupture and Continuity in the Canon”, New Trends in Contemporary Latin American Narrative. Post-National Literatures and the Canon, ed. Timothy R. Robbins & José Eduardo Gonzalez. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter 4 Deep Literature and Dirty Realism: Rupture and Continuity in the Canon Gerardo Cruz-Grunerth ‘The 1960s and 1970s saw Latin America come to the freiont finerntional atenion, From the tiumphal sit of the Cuban Revolution and its influence on the rest ofthe rion to the oppres sional rerestive violence oF numerous military dictatorships i traure aid editorial production were nourished by the impulse of this historical moment. Ax a esult oF increased stention, the trary odution ofthis time, which came o be Known a the Boon, ha The opportunity to acess European publishing house and gain 3p rilicunly bigger market. The Boom aso signified a reformulation of the Latin American iterary canon, Ths, the Boom became «point of partite as two Mesa trary groups thorized revision of the canon thiery yeas later, The Crack Manifesto and MoH, the Insniesto of dirty realist writers, introduce two distinct sesthetie tha express tension yet harmony with the established canon in thelr dwn way. Given tat both movements propose an "ed of Latin ‘mesic Weraure, ile exerial to explore both tos aswell a representative works—Jorge Volps EI seomperamenta ndancdiso (The Melancholic Temperament, 1996) for the Crack writers and Guillermo Fadnell's Lodo (Mud, 2002) for Malo in border to better understand the inheritance these ators recive om ‘he Boom an the revision they attempt to make ofthe eon, “To talk ofthe Boom includes 4 recognition of certain elements— formal, shematc, and dacursve charatrisice—which unify these teas and make them fom a heterogeneous yet eel literary Bro. Thi ads Hernando Alnsa to argue tat “Acshetic ideas do not ei inate the stesuldemans reality imposes, but rather those demand become the work's best incentive (Narrasin S253) Ansa describes86 CGenanoo cnuz-GRUNEATH the problematic of literature tha was sill portraying Latin America’s social problems while distancing itself from the propaganda thinly veiled sa revelations dscoure, These text denounced military intervention and state oppression, as well as other topics that were often the target of eensorship and repression, without subordinating aesthetic concerns to social ones. ‘One ofthe common elements ofthe Boom literature, beyond the maticconcerns, was the presence of multiplicity of genes and discourses fiom other discipline. This polyphony helped construct the “total literary work” or “total novel.” Afnsa describes this idea, stating that the “total novel” would end with false scholasticlike dilemmas that divide Latin American novels into social, sociological, historical, car ‘umbrisen, objective, oF ideological genres, each in conflict with the others, aif all the elements of these novelistic traditions could not coexist in a simultaneous, contradictory, and enriching form. Carlos Foentes calls it the “total novel.” whereas Ainsa asserts thatthe novel js combination of “myth, language and structure” (Narrativa 53). “The emphasis on polyphony and the creation of the “total nove are instrumental in portraying a new Latin American society and also in the construction of a new canon, Combined with the commercial and critical success of the Boom, these aesthetic elements provided a bbenchwater moment for Latin American literature. One could also argue that the Boom’s aestheties—which employed magical realism ‘withthe same ease that ie used a testimonial approach—already rep resented an alteration ofthe canon, but as Edgar Mora has atutely fbserved regarding the study of Latin American iteray history: “The tradition of rapture in Latin America isa question that is not stud ied, and because itis not studied, iti too ambiguous and obscure” (42), Perhaps because ofthis, the Post-Boom period took the inita- tive in a much less serious way, and from there it continued its own production. ‘Even though some scholars lump everything that followed the Boom into the tegory of Post-Boom, a more narrow definition of Post Boom is necessary given the variety of texts that fit the broader definition, In the shadow of writers like Mario Vargas Llosa, Gabriel ria Mérquez, Juan Rulfo, and Carlos Fuentes, these PostSioom texts imitate magical realism, exploiting it as an easy way to access the global literary market and with it commercial success," The Post Boom literature has been criticized as empty, easy literature without great artistic merits due to its simplistic epettion ofthe Boom aes thetcs to erate an exotic quality that global readers began to associate with Latin American authors. Because ofthese criticisms, at least two DDEGP LITERATURE AND OIRTY REALISM 8 groups of young Latin American writers rejected the Post Boom aes thetic and presented their own views in manifesos, the frst propos- Jing anaesthetic of dirty realism.” "The first issue of the journal La Pus Moderna (Modern Pus, 198) provides a series of texts defining dirty realism? The emphasis the juienal itself placed on counterculture and postmoderaity com jplements the authors’ proposal for a Meaican dirty realism or “trash fret” Consistent with its countercultural roots, the very title of the magazine was a play on the word “postmodern” in Spanish ? The ragazine’s ttle altered the meaning of the original term and moved, jtto the realm ofthe dirty, che insane, the sik, creating a perfect title that corresponded with the ideology of the pablication "NaiefYehya and Guillermo J. Fadaneli both of whom were part of a Pas Moderna’sediorial staff, further the “dirty realist” aesthetic proposal in two texts, "La literatura la que estamos condenados” (The Literature to Which We Are Condemned) and “MoH, princi: {os bisicos” (MoFfo, Basic Principle), also commonly known as the MoHo manifesto, n “La ieratura,” Fadanell and Yeya state: We were able to finally find the ideal clasication for new Latin American writers. They can be divided into asholes and inlets als Goa’ laugh cook us + lot of work to arrive a thi conclusion ‘The imallectuas ae influenced by Julio Cortzar and the asholes by Gaza Marquen.-. Anyway, were a definitive cos on Mexican let ters cadaver and we believe that, as soon as posse, we should ge ‘ofthe body (Yehya and Fadaneli 36) For these authors, the “ftesife” of Garcla Marques’ discourse Becomes the greatest blunder of contemporary itersture, According to Yehya and Fadaneli, within thi dead teratire there are also ‘orks by ol ladies who “instead of helping with Church donations Sat down fo write novels whose ony attribute i that they have no Sense othe iiculous” (36)* Equally problematic, for vhese authors, isthe presence of las discrimination in some contemporary iterary ‘works in which characte development and plot divide “in degrees and neighborhoods a misery that a fst glance seemed to afect, ‘xeryone” (36). The MoHo authors fame thir poltieal and ae thetic positon through negative terms, that i, By describing the ‘ype oftterature they do not want terete. Imitating derrdean di course in which the margin becomes the center, Yebya and Fadel subvert tation in fivor of thee own self-described underground Postion: "The magazine MoH is not a marginal publication; in fat outside of us everything marginal” (50), Furthermore, in themanifesto, they reject classifications like “disenchantment,” which tended to belitle countercultal forms of artistic expression, One Finds more politcal-philosophical discussion than anaesthetic one ‘the Motto authors challenge the imposed! order not only for ar, but also for humanity: IFone were to have to learn a lesson it would be ‘that of forgetting everything that has been learned, this whole son of humanity and its achievements” (50), Once again emphasizing ‘negation rather than creation, the authors aso imply a postion free of influence, stating “We do not hive a postion on man nor new vision of humanity” (81). Ther literary proposal then comes from the tension between this spet of negation sind the manipulation of aestheties; they argue that: "The creative exercises that man needed to preserve his estnce were confsedwith mere moves that celebrated the most banal par ofthe Spi. Words have lays been sits that sell themsches 0 aris, 0 Poliins, to speech makers and opeopets. They have been the ma {urbatory instrument with which we now masturbate without Fecling the least amount of pleasure... Everything has bees a constant dese into misery. Though the promise of better work (a prase which has lays sweetly bounced between publicity and philonophy) ic became ‘in ignominious aed constant preent..We believe tae lerature i deal ant fethermore so are writers and thinkers. Talking of 1s false Because we are simpy alone inthis eecic an imitative amen this halt bablling among the robe Yehya and Falun 36) Although the quote contains no ditect references to contemporary literary forms, it does manifest issatisfaction with a sytem that no longer functions. Inthe text, MoHo authors declage that literature “eta pelas" which implies that literature and its authors are lost.® While the discourse ofthese ro writers refers to Latin American it erature in particular, atthe sime time their statements take on mich broader implications. They are arguing that the “official discourse ‘of humanity” is empty, art has become silent, Thus, literature “etd ‘elas (lost), it is unable to go further Through the discourse of dirty realism, frst proposed in Le Pus Moderna, Lado focuses on putting, cre, dirty realty, and explicit sexuality atthe center of the sarration. Diana Palverich, speaking, ‘of Pedro Juan Gutieez’s Tiley scia de La Habana (Disty Trilogy ‘of La Habana), could just as easily have been teerring to Fadel’ ‘novel: “What is revealed a8 irty"..is not sex, which many puritan cal readers have defined as pornographic...by reading between the lines, what one does sce isthe dirty everydiy realty that the author DEEP LITERATURE AND DIRTY REALISM #9 nitcently describes without filling ito the tap of wri el amps” (2). That dt seam oul faneton aa coun pola discourse summarizes the basic positon of the Molto mifeto In contrast tothe great Boom novels, the aesthetic of dirty um focuses on the idivkal asthe product of marginalization redo, the characters are marginal ones: the university professor olds the lowest rank in the academic hierarchy and receives the Theat sary oF the man approaching fity with financial prob tet erectile dysfinntion wo has no business in life other than fl iting his routine. There also Flor Eduarda, lower elas gil rom the outskirts of Mexico Cty who works part-time, dead-end jobs, at ceslke the Seven Eleven, Shei young gl without any education Fee the fis yearsof secondary school a has become acustomed 10 Menger youth and beauty, a8 well as her body, wo resolve her most mediate problems, She cannot begin to dream of future because She is unable to comprehend the idea. Characters ike these fae erat fiialty becoming the center of deep novels, that is, novels about the "geat” themes. The literature of dcry realism provides examples tthe individual marginalized by hegemonic discourse. adanel’s presentations of reality tke place “inthe space gen ered between abandonment and persecution where] eration and tecentri literature meet and finda blanes. In other words this isan tilque, marginal and maladjusted literate which ise from outside the eenter® (Ainss, Def canon 133) Fadanelt employs not just mar final characters and deme, but the literary sesso margi Sized, “Tras literature” or dirty catia belong to what Delevze and Guatar calla minor ftertue, which “doesat come from a minor langage; ti sather that which a minority constructs within a major Tanguage” (16) Deleuze and Guatacs definition places trash litera ture within apace of confrontation against te itetay enon in rel tion tots values themes, development and even its Language. Dirty reais lick its own language, because language is developed by the institutions, through the canon; ths, this trary movement has © create a brand new language a variant ofthe dominant one. Ditty realism modifies ‘langue, solemn a ld sespnsible For the past, and eens the tranngunt tone with whi twas believed to Be ivested imo a ‘Mocking and deentized hone sto humor, in playa el ‘ae, ino the ability for sel denigraton by a Ieee whet Ms los its solemnity defo sabia lac humor (As, Narraioa 105)