Narrative and National Allegory in Rómulo Gallegos's Venezuela

Download or read book Narrative and National Allegory in Rómulo Gallegos's Venezuela written by Jenni M. Lehtinen and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 181 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Venezuela's preeminent educator, politician, and most important author Romulo Gallegos (1884-1969) left a lasting imprint on how Venezuelans conceive of their national history and identity. Jenni Lehtinen offers the first full-length study of Gallegos's later Venezuelan novels, 'Canaima' (1935), 'Pobre negro' (1937), and 'Sobre la misma tierra' (1943), which have been up to now eclipsed by the critical attention devoted to 'Dona Barbara' (1929). By combining close-readings organized around national allegory and narrative structure with discussions about Gallegos's socio-political essays, the study reveals previously ignored, radical developments in the Venezuelan author's ideologies. Through her bold reinterpretation of the later novels, Lehtinen reveals Gallegos as a far more innovative writer than has been traditionally appreciated. Jenni Lehtinen completed her doctoral studies in Spanish American literature at Wolfson College, University of Oxford, where she has held various teaching posts and lectured on Nation and Narration.