Literary Treasures | A Conversation on The Labyrinth of Solitude with Keri González скачать в хорошем качестве

Literary Treasures | A Conversation on The Labyrinth of Solitude with Keri González

Keri González, PhD in Spanish and Literature from the University of Utah, specializing in Mexican and Latin American literature with a focus on Gender and Border Studies, explores the intricacies of Mexican identity. Octavio Paz’s essay, "The Labyrinth of Solitude" (1950), provides us with a lucid, yet controversial, analysis and interpretation of Mexican History, from the Conquest to the mid-20th century. Paz’s attempt to define Mexican identity becomes a very deep reflection of the cryptic character of Mexicans, and their orphan status, as a result of the events that shaped their History. Mexicans, in their search for identity, enter a labyrinth of loneliness and contradictions, from which they manage to escape only for very brief moments. When defining Mexicans as “hijos de la Chingada”, the author touches the open wound of the collective past that Mexicans have long negated. To be able to leave their orphan status, Mexicans need to initiate a search for their origins and look at their past. The return to the maternal womb, “la Chingada’s womb”, is the only way Mexicans can save their present, and imagine a new, more promising future. Alejandro Quin, Professor of Latin American literature at the University of Utah, will join the discussion as a panelist.