Along the frontier: Flannery O'Connor, Juan Rulfo and the form of the American Grotesque
Full text
Re1'is a
de
Es111dios
Nonean e icanos.
n.
" 1 (
199
J ). pp. 69-91
ALONG
THE
FRONTIER:
FLANNERY
O'CONNOR, JUAN
RULFO
AND
THE
FORM
OF
THE
AMERICAN
GROTESQUE
JAMES
NOLAN
Uni e si
dad
de Salamanca
One
o
hc mos a es ing de ails in
modem
Anglo-Ame ican ic ion
is
he
..
long s and
o
i on-g cy hai " disco e ed on he
pi
ll
ow
ne
x o
h
e "p o ound
and lleshless g in" o he decayed co pse
o
he la e
Mi
ss
Emily G ie son
's
lo
e
(Faulkne , 500-1). In
"A
Rose o Emily
,"
William Faulkne unexpec edly con-
e s wha ini ially appea s o be humo ous Sou hem
ea
lism in o some hing bo h
h01Tible
and haun ing, ocusing on o ha single s and
o
hai wo con lic ing
li
e a y adi ions a once: he psychological da kness
o
Poe, Mel ille and C ane
oge he wi h
h
e
eg
ional humo
o
w i e s such as Ma k Twain. A gene a ion
la c , p ima ily du ing he l 950
's
and
60's
, wo dis inc Ii e a y phenomena we e
o occu in Anglo and Hi
sp
anic-Ame ican li
e a
u es, he Sou hem school and
he La in Ame ican Boom, bo h
o
which a e ma ked
by
his same con
e
ge
nce
o
humo and ho o ,
o
ealism and
h
e ex ao dina y.
The
g o es
qu
e,
as his
quali y has been called bo h by i s admi e s and de ac o s,
is
pe haps e en mo e
han an cssen ial ing edien in he
i
c ion
o
h
ese wo pa allel mo emen s, one
which se s many o hese wo ks apa om o
h
e mode o ic ion employing he
sa nc
na
a
i
e
ec
hnique
s.
Due o he quan i y,
qu
ali y and uniqueness
o
such
i
c ion appea ing almos simul ane
ou
sly in bo h Ame ican hemisphe es, i is
possibly ime o conside he Ame ican g o esque no me ely as a la o bu as a
o m
o
ic ion, one which can ake i s place alongside
o
he omance and he
sho s o y i sel
as
a
di
s inc i e o n de eloped in he Ame icas.
70 J
a111e
.1
No/c
111
I
is no me e his o ical coincidcncc ha hc
Ame ican
g o esque
ga
in
ed
p ominence in bo h o hese mo cmcn s du ing his
pa icula
pe iod. Thc
colo-
nial ela ionship be ween hc No h and he So
u
h has
long
mi
o cd a s
imila
one
bc ween he Uni cd S a es and La ín Ame ica. F om
he
cnd
o
Wo ld
Wa
11
h ough he l
960's
he Sou h as well as La ín Ame ica
wa
s unde going a
d a-
ma ic accele a ion o a p ocess long unde way. hc ansi ion om a basi
ca
lly
u al,
se
mi- eudal social s uc u c owa
d
and indus ial
de
elopmcn as
engi-
n
ee
ed by No hem capi alis in c es
s.
Jus as hc sha
e-c o
pping Biblc Be
l
was
being ans om1ed in o an u banized Sun Bel . a simila
p oc
ess was occu ing
in
La in Ame ica, whe e he Mon oe Doc ine
o
he ui companies was
being
con e ed in o an Alliance o P og
ess
be ween mul ina ional co po a ions
and
a
cheap u ban wo k o ce. In La ín Ame i
ca
, as
in
he
Sou h
, u al a
e
as
wi h
adi ional cul u es, once isola ed
by
geog aphy and ozen in
hi
s o y. we c
being
in adcd by no only a new powe s uc u e bu by a
ne
w men ali y om
h
e
expanding indus ial cen e s. '·En el in e io del país." w i es he La in Ame ican
c
i ic
He nán
Vid
a!.
"s
e
obse a
un
a caísmo,
un
a aso
ge
ne al.
un
'
adicionalismo
' en
l
ag
an e
con lic o
co
n la
mode nidad
de los
luga es
an e io
es."
(33) 1 n bo h egions his same
ph
enomcnon
ha
s
o
nn
ed a on i
e .
a
a ia ion
on
he p e ious one be ween ci iliza ion and wilde ness. along which a
con lic be ween egional "backwa dness" and impinging
"de e
lopmen "'
has
p oduced wha Flanne y
O'Conn
o
calls a
"wi
ld" ic ion which is
"o
necessi y
going o be iolen! and
comic
because
o
h
e disc epancies i seeks
o
combine
."
(Mys e y
mu/
Ma1111e s
,
43)
The
only disc epancy associa ed wi h hc g o es
quc
, howe e . is no
jus
ha ela ing o i s subjec ma e . On e e y le cl he g o esque
is
an a
o
con adic ions, no he leas
o
which is he w i c
's
own
a i ude owa d subjec
and language.
Thc
e exis
s
among w i e s idcn i ied wi h
'"
backwa d"
egions
wha Vida! e ms a
"de
pendencia'·
o
cul u al in e io i y
co
mplex which p opels
hem owa d wo ld
ce
n e s o se
l
-de ini ion. Sou he n and
La
ín Ame ican local
alen s ha e long been encou aged in he
mo
s sophis ica ed
di
cc ions
o
New
Yo k and Pa ís, espec i ely, in o de o a oid he pejo a i c label '· egionalis . ..
Ye in he mids
o
h
ese wo mo emen s qui e a di e en esponse de cloped
among i s w i c s, ypi ied by O'Conno 's asse ion
Tha he anguish ha mos o us ha e obse ed o so ne ime
now
has
been caused no by he ac ha he Sou h is aliena ed om he
e
s
o
he coun y, bu by hc ac ha i is no aliena cd enough. ha e e y day
we a e ge cing mo e and
mo
e like he cs
o
he coun y. ha
we
a e
being
o
ced ou no only
o
ou
many sins. bu
o
ou
e
w inues.
(
M s
en·,
28)
A/1111g
/;e/i·omil'I':
Flan11e y
O'Co
11110
, Juan
Rul
o
ami
he o 111
<!
' he
Ame i n11
G mesqu<'
71
Thi
s poin
o
iew
ep e
se
n s a
eac io
n
agains
wha
Vidal
calls a
"d
i usionis
mo
"
o
he alues
o
d
e e
lopmen
in
o
a
di ional u al wo ld
s.
a
eac ion which is pe haps a
he
hea
o
he social m
ea
ning o he g o esque. Ye
he g o esquc
is
no
a
11ai
o m, no li e
a
y olk a
by
any meaos.
I
ep csen s.
on he
one
hand, he L iumph
o
eg
ionalism, ye on
h
e o he . one
exe
cu ed wi h
echniques bo owed om he e y dominan cul u es i ullima ely opposes.
Op-
posi ion o he
a
lues o New Yo k
and
Pa ís o en
es
ul s
in
g ea successcs in
hese cen e s. and o he ex en ha
he
la
c
wo k
o
such Sou he n and La in
Ame ican w i e s as T uman Capo e and José
Donoso
was cosmopoli anizcd. i
ceased
co
embody he g o esque.
In iew
o
his ension be ween he con iic ing demands
o
egionalism and
echniquc.
i
is i onic ha he La ín
Am
e ican w i c s a e a mo e Faulkne ian
han hei
So
u he n coun e pa s. Ga cía Má quez
obse es
ha
Fau
lkn
e
"e
s á
me ido en oda la no elís ica de la
Am
é i
ca
La ina:·
ha he signi ican! di e -
ence bc ween his gene a
i
on
o
w i e s and he p
e
i
ous
one is he in luence
o
Faulkne , whom he claims
as
"un esc i o del
Ca ibe.
de
alguna mane a ... un
esc
i o la inoame icano.'" (No ela.
53)
The
Faulkne ian me hod. he con inucs.
"es
muy
e icaz
pa
a con a
la
ealidad la inoame ican
a."
a me
hod
in which he
adi i
ona
l de ices
o
ime, oice, na a ion and cha ac e a e dis o
cd
in o de o
cap
u e a complex his o y
and
consciousness wi h mul i-
pe
spec
i
es.
The
me hod
ha
s been u ilized no only by
Ga
cía Má quez, bu by
o
he s
o
he
Boom
w i e s
who
ha e wo ked in he
g o
es
que
o o, such as
Ju
an Rul o, Miguel Angel
As u ias and Ma io Va gas Llosa. In e ec , h
ey
ha e "killed
h
ei a he
s"
in
he
Ha old Bloom sense
o
in luence by inding a o eign one. ye hey ha e e-
mained cgionalis s.
Th
e Sou he n w i e s ha e accomplished he same, no by
epea ing he iden ical na a i e
ex
pe
im
en s
o
Faulkne , bu by eschewing his
Modemis dis o ions. W i e s such as Ca son M
cCu
lle s, Flannc y O'Conno .
Eudo a
Wel y and Walke Pe
cy
u ned
owa
d
wha appea s as an almo
s
hype
-
ea
li
s
n
by
compa ison, which
Ca
s
on
McCulle s claims owes
mu
ch o hc in lu-
ence
o
w
i e s such as Gogol a
nd
Chekho
in
h
e
cssay
''T
hc Russian Realis s
and
Sou hem
Li e a u e." He e she cousins he Russian Realis s
in
he
sa
me
manne in which Ga cía Má quez
cou
sins Faulkne . cxplaining
ho
w
much
" he
Sou
h and old Russia ha e ... in c
ommon
sociologically ... Economi
ca
ll
y and in
o
he ways i has been us
ed
as a
so
o
colony o he es o he na ion. The
po e y is unlike any hing known in o he pa s
o
hc
na ion.
In
social s uc u e
he c is a d
i
ision
o
classes simila o ha in old
Ru
ssia." (260) Yc he Sou hem
g o esque is no mo e de i ed om he
Ru
ssian Realis
s
han hc La in Ame ican
g o
esquc is de i ed om Faulkne
.
Wha bo h ep esen a e in luen ial ea
-
mcn s
o ma
l
ized
by
p e ious
w i e
s
and
wh
a
was
bo owcd
we e
he
o
nn
aliza ions. no he g o esque i
se
l .
Th
e impo ance
in
h
cse
compa isons.
howc c .
is
ha he g o esque may be d
e e
l
oped
using a wide a ie y
o
cch-
Jumn
No/u
11
niques. om he Faulkne ian o he Russian Realis ,
and
ha he sociological
kinship exp esscd. bcyond any c idence
o
a "dependencia" on o eign
in lu-
cnccs, indica es a common cul u al basis o i s gene a ion as a o o. In addi ion,
i
is
signi ican ha he Russian Fo malis c i ics, such as Eichembaum
and
Bakh in, wo gene a ions emo ed om he Russian Realis s, we e he i s
o
o mula e many
o
he dynamics
o
he g o esque, and i is o hem ha
we
shall
u n now o a enninology use ul owa d de ining i in i s Ame ican o m.
11
The
"'g o esque" has become a conside ably ague c m. and e c y
c i ic
who w i es on any aspec
o
he g o esque in a iably begins by ein en ing i .
Fcw ag ee wi h each o he . he e o c he em1 has been s e ched
o
include
such
an ex ensi e a ie y
o
au ho s and ex s as o seem meaninglessly clas ic.
I
Mann. B owning. Ka ka, Rabelais. Heine. Aus en and By on a e ali, in ac ,
w i e s
o
he g o esque. one migh ques ion he use ulness
o
using his e m.
I
he g o esquc
is
basically " he un esol cd clash
o
incompa ibles
in
wo k
and
esponse." as Thompson concludcs (27),
o
wha Kayse summa izes as
"
he
s anged wo ld" (184 ).
is
he e any wo k ei he in c cs ing
o
impo an in
mod-
e n ic ion which
is
no g o esque?
One uni e sal assump ion among hese c i ics is ha he g o esque e e s o
an exagge a ed deg ee
o
un amilia i y along ha b oad spec um be ween he
" amilia " and he ··un amilia ." using he c he e ms
o
he Russian Fonnalis s
o he no mal
o
eal and he abno mal o un eal. Al hough he basis o
much
discussion is he exac loca ion
o
he g o esque along his con inuum. whe e i is
gene ally placed somewhe e be ween hc unusual and he biza e,
i
ollows
ha
he g o csque
is
no inhe en wi hin he ension
o
a wo k bu
is
ano he ela i is-
ic o m
o
eadc esponse. Kayse cmphasizes ha " he g o esque
is
expe i-
enced only
in
he ac
o
ecep ion." ( 181)
This
gi es ise o an in e p e a ion
o
he g o esque as an almos ou is ic phenomcnon. gi en ha a eade om ou side
o
a cul u e will cc ainly ind a much g ea e deg ee
o
un amilia i y han
one
om wi hin he same cul u e abou which hc wo k is w i en. As Anglo-Ame ican
eade s. he c o e. mus wc dismiss hc g o esque as an in eg al pa
o
Hispan
ic-
Ame ican ic ion bccause. as Ga cía Má quez claims, ··soy
un
esc i o ealis
a,
po que c eo que
en
Amé ica La ina odo es posible, odo es eal'"? (
19)
Likcwise.
Flanne y o ·
conno
main ains ha
..
I ha e w i en se e a! s o ics which did no
scem o me o ha c any g o esque cha ac e s
in
hem a ali, bu which ha e been
immedia ely labcled g o esque by non-Sou he n eade s. I ind i ha d
o
beli
e e
ha wha
is
obse able beha io in one sec ion
ca
n be wi hou pa allel in
an-
o he ."
(Mys c y
. 32) I
h
e non-Sou he n eade inds any deg ee
o
un amilia -
i y in he s o ics.
is
i only because
o
he "obse able beha io " o which he is
Alo11g
he
o111ie ·
'/an11e1
:
"
O'
Co111111 .
J11
a11
R11/ o
ami
i e
o m
o
he
Ame ican
G o sque
73
accus omed?
In
his case, he g o esque
is
a ela i c
aspe
c
o
he exo icism
o
egional w i ing,
as
pe cei ed ela i is ically
in
each
eade
's
imagina ion, and
has a minimal connec ion wi h he o m
o
he wo k.
These c i ics, mos
o
whom a e o ien ed
owa d
Eu opean li e a u e,
h
us
de ine he g o esque as a quali y
o
ead
e
esponse
o
ce ain de achable ele-
men s
o
he wo k: desc ip ions, e en s.
ch
a ac e s
o
e en language may seem
g o esque, ha is, demons a e a
hi
gh deg ee
o
un amilia i
y.
The c i ics a e
qui
ck
o poin ou g o esque elemen s
in
wo ks
o
pa ody
o
an asy, and hen a e
equally incline<l o inco po a e in o hei de ini ions
o
he g o esque he a -
ibu es
o
hese o he li e a y o os, spawning many hyphena ed sub-species
o
h
e g o esque such as he play ul-g o esque
o
he sa i ic-g o esque. I is no
un
il
one u ns o he g o esque in Anglo
o
Hispanic-Ame ican ic ion ha he possi-
bi li y occu s ha
h
e g o esque may no only be a
qua
li
y p esen
in
o
h
e o ms,
bu ha
i
may
be
a li e a y o m
in
i
sel
.
As such,
h
e g o esque has
i
s own
s uc u al and on ological basis, one which
is
equal o
bu
di e en om hose
o
such simila o ms as pa ody
o
an asy, absu dis
o
su ealis ic ion. Whe eas
o he c i ic
o
Eu opean li e a u e he g o esque is p ima ily an adjec i e, he
c i ic
o
Ame ican li e a u e mus come o e ms wi h i s exis ence as a noun, as a
di
s inc ly Ame ican o m. The di e ence be ween he g o es
qu
e as an adjec i e
(lo
g o
esco) and he g o esque as a noun (e/ g o esco) is
in
many ways pa allel
o he di e ence be ween he oman ic and he omance. The oman ic is an
adjec i e which is used o desc ibe ce ain quali ies
in
wo ks as dissimila as he
no cls
o
Si Wal e Sco and he poe y
o
Juan
Ramó
n Jiménez; like he
g o esque, i has become a e m
o
such a b oad and con used
me
aning ha i
mus be ein e p e ed e e y ime i
is
use
d.
The omance, on he o h
e
hand,
is
a
dis inc li e a y o m i s de
elope<l
in
Spain
's
Siglo
de
O o as a o m
o
poe
y
and la e by Na hanicl Haw ho ne in he J 9 h cen u y Uni ed
S
a es as a o m
o
sho ic ion. In a simila ashion, he Ame ican g o esque as a o m de eloped as
a esponse o con lic s inhe en in he cul u e
ou
o
which
i
g ew.
The
g o esque ep esen s ye ano he app oach
o
he con lic be ween wil-
de ness and ci iliza ion which bo h Anglo and Hispanic-Ame ican c i i
cs
such as
Ri
cha d Chase and Ca los Fuen es ind cen al
o
he meanings
o
hese Ame i-
can li e a u es.
In
bo h hemisphe es, o Pu i an as well as Conquis ado , na u e
was a ie ce enemy o be conque ed: "Quién iba a pensa ," w i es Fue
n
es,
"e
n la
se enidad del alma eco
i
endo
un
ío de pi añas y espe ando la lecha en enenada
de una ibu de jíba os desnudos?" (9) On one side was "la se enidad del alma,"
God, Eu opean ci
i
li
za ion and he
Hi
ghe Sel es o he
co
lonis s which hey
ep esen ed; on he o he , he
de
il
in
cama e as he h ea ening wildemess, he
.. jíba os desnudo
s"
who li ed he e and hc colonis s' Lowe Sel es which hey
cmbodied.
Two
o
h
e ea lies uses
o
he wo d g o esque in a
hi
s o y illumina e
i s ela ionship o his
co
n lic . Bo h
h
e pain ings exca a ed om he g o os o
74
James
No an
Augus an Rome as well
as
he Paleoli hic ca e escoes disco e ed
in
Spain
and
F ance ea u e he hyb id depic ion
o
human and animal o ms, including
"i
n e -
species in e cou se, cannibalism, nec ophagy, and sac i ice
-all
o
which
we e
in ended o emphasize a ini ies wi h he na u al wo ld ... " (Ha pham, 64)
This
" i s s ep in he a icula ion
o
he human pe sonali y," his biassocia ion
o
human and animal o os,
is
necessa ily linked o ha aw edge whe e ci iliza-
ion and wildemess en wine, ei he empo ally
in
his o y o spa ially
in
geog a-
phy. A e he Romaniza ion
o
Wes e n Eu ope, his on ie was no o
appea
again as pa o Wes e n expe ience un il he coloniza ion o he New
Wo ld,
which
is
why he g o esque pe sis ed as a heme o elemen
o
olklo ic de i a i
on
in he de eloping Eu opean li e a u es bu did no eme ge as a ull li e a y
o m.
The wild olk i uals which Mikhail Bakh in inds as a basis
o
he g o esque
elemen s in he sa i es
o
Rabelais we e he linge ing aces
o
an
o iginal
con-
on a ion ha has since been epea ed along he Ame ican on ie , which
ha
s
gi en bi h o new o os
o
ela ing he lamed and un amed.
Upon he coloniza ion
o
he Ame icas, he Eu opeans no only con on ed
again he wildemess ou
o
which hey once de eloped,
bu
he p esence
o
p e-
li e a e, ibal people
s,
bo h he na i e Ame ican as well as he A ican sla e, all
o
which ep esen ed
an
a a is ic memo y
o
he e y g o os and ca es in
which
he pain ul p ocess
o
ci iliza ion had ini ially been wo ked ou in hei cul u e.
In a eal sense, he coloniza ion p ocess was and con inues o be a descen
in o
his "hea
o
da kness,"
as
he Eu opean sees i , a e-en y in o hose g o os, a med
his ime wi h pen and ink a he han sha pened lin s, and wha has eme
ged
o en esembles he o iginal hyb id o ms.
Th
e g o esque g ew as a dis inc
o m
ollowing his on ie . In Anglo-Ame ican li e a u e i i s appea ed wi h
he
supema u al omances
o
Haw home, "Young Goodman B own" being a classic
example, and hen ollowed he Wes wa d expansion in he all al
e,
he olk
legend and much
o
egional humo , in which human-animal ans o ma ions
and
de o med icks e cha ac e s abound. Many
o
h
ese ales a e hinly disguised
e sions
o
na i e Ame ican and A ican olk ales, wi h a hin o e lay
o
Wes
-
e n alues o e which he un amed elemen s usually iumph. Wi h he sp ead
o
Eu opean ci iliza ion, he con lic inhe en in he on ie was a es ed
in
ce ain
isola ed, ag icul u a] a eas such
as
he Sou h and hose la ge a eas o
La ín
Ame ica ye undomina ed by u ban cul u e, whe e he anscul u a ed
de
scend-
en s
o
na i e Ame icans, A ican sla es and wild on ie whi es s ill li
e.
Thi
s
con lic be ween wilde ness and ci iliza ion has since been ansla ed in o
he
e ms
o
a con lic be ween "backwa dness" and "de elopmen ," and
i
is ou
o
his e ile g ound ha a complex o m
o
ic ion has g own which can be de ined
as he g o esq
ue.
The Am
e
ican g o esque
is
an in e ed onn
o
he pic u esque in egional
ic ion, in wh
ic
h o m he ic o y
o
he amilia (ci
ili
za ion) o e he un amil-
A long he
nmie :
Flanne y
O'Conno
, Juan Rul o
aJUl
he
o m
o
he
A111ai n11
G o es1¡11c
75
ia (wildemess)
is
usually celeb a ed, as in cowboy
and
gauchesco epics. In he
g o esque, howe e , he amilia is iola ed hy he un amilia . he human and
bes ial p esen ed as simul aneously in e pene a ing, p oducing an c ec
o
bo h
humo and epulsion as a means
o
con on ing his con lic be ween ci iliza ion
and wildemess. While he g o esque almos a a is ically easse s he powe
o
he wild, unlike in he ho o gen e his elemen is amed by humo , which
"disa ms he demonic," acco ding o Jennings (16), ende ing
i
ludic ous ye
haun ing, pala able ye dis u bing. On many le els,
he
g o esque
is
hc e-enac -
men in a new o m
o
he old s o y
o
he missiona ies and he sa ages,
o
o
he
cowboys and Indians,
o
he s uggle be ween hei alues, ye wi h he pic u -
esque
umed
upside down as an assaul
on
he "ci ilized" poin
o
iew. Pa
o
he socie y, always egional and usually u al. consis s
o
na i e Ame icans,
blacks
o
poo whi es. Much
o
he ac ion, howe e , akes place
in
he less
de ined sphe es
o
anscul u a ion, in he mula o o mes izo a eas be ween g oups.
in which Indians, blacks and poo whi es ac like he na i e pe i e bou geoisi
e,
o
hey in u n ac like he lndians, blacks
o
poo whi es. This inspi es a con usion
o
iden i ies, he low becoming high, he high, low,
as
a basic comic de ice.
The
g o esque he o embodies his con usion as a icks e who mo es
ee
ly be ween
bo h wo lds ye belongs o nei he ,
jus
as
on
ano he
le el he
is
composed
physically and psychologically
o
bo h human and animal a ibu es. His de o m-
i y, whe he as physical
o
psychological cha ac e is ic
o as
ges u e, is a usually
shocking con e gence
o
bo h hese human and animal quali ies which in so ne
way iola es he no ms
o
he socic y in which he li es, unc ioning a he samc
ime as a s igma a
o
his blessed union
o
highe wi h lowc : highc wi h lowe
sel . highe wi h lowe body, animal wi h human. p imi i e wi h ci ilized. de-
monic wi h eligious.
As a o m. he g o esque
is
s uc u ed by a
comp
lex
o
le els upon
whi
ch
hcse pola i ies
o
he amilia and he un amilia con e ge. Ye no only he
de clopmcn o he g o esque cha ac e and i s cla ion o socie
y
a e signi icam,
bu he use
o
na a i e language is i sel an essen ial pa
o
his complex. Bo is
Eichenbaum de ines ihe na a i c
o
hc g o esquc as
an
essen ially se ious
o
e en sad s o y ela ed in comicly exagge a ed language. In "Cómo es á hecho 'El
capo e' de Gogol." he main ains ha Gogol
's
s o y con as s a melod ama ically
declama o y s yle wi h a loose, con e sa ional anecdo al oice, as wcll as jux a-
posing pa he ic de ails wi h puns, idiculous names and o he o ms
o
wo d
pl
ay.
ln a pa allel ye dis inc i e manne . he Ame ican g o esquc combines elemen s
o
egional humo . a se mo emissus
o
low s yle - including use
o
dialec . s ock
comic ypes. slaps ick si ua ions, egional ocabula y and p epospc ous names-
wi h a se mo g a is o high s yle
o
de achcd, o en ellip ical na a ion
o
g ue-
some o so did de ails. which migh include echniques anging om he na u al-
is ic o he Faulkne ian.
The
egional humo dis ances he eade om iden i ica-
7 i James
No
/u
n
ion wi h
co
n en , modi ying he ull e ec
o
he la e , which in ol es
he
eade
on
an un amilia le el
o
ea and/o epulsion.
This
eade -dis ancing/
eade -in ol emen wea es in o a o m
o
s uc u al
i ony
, which se es
as
a
basis o he
p
esen a ion
o
he
complex
o
pola i ies
cen e ed
a ound he
oppo
-
si ion be ween ci iliza ion and wildemess, hus assu ing he
co
n adic o y
e ec
o
he
g o
esque. Laugh e as a amilia , ci ilized es
pon
se
ac s as a o m
o
con ol, allowing he eade o "laugh
o '
-almos
bu
no
qui e- he e ec s
o
he mo e se ious s yle
o
na a ion, ans o ming he ho ible in o he
"s
ick
."
Al hough he g o esque u ilizes black humo as a o m
o
s uc u al i ony,
ali
black
humo
does no
con o m
o
he o mal pa ems p e
se
n
in
he
g o esque,
in
which he se ies
o
con e ging ela ionships
can
be isuali
ze
d in his way:
The Un amilia poin
o
co
n e gence The Familia
E ec : macab e
...
epulsion/
...
g o esque~humo
~
bu lesque
e
a
Cha ac e : bes ial
...
de o mi y
~human
as
demonic
...
s i
gm
a a
~God
Se ing: wilde ne
ss
...
on ie
~
ci iliza ion
Social
lden i y: ibal,
...
lndi
an,
...
icks e mis i
~
na i e
~
na ional
adi ional
bla
ck,
pe i e bou geoisie
poo
whi e bou geoisie
( disinhe i ed)
Language: eade in ol em
en
...
(ma e -o - ac
na a ion
o
dis u bing de ails)
i ony
~
ea
de dis ance
( egional humo )
This unique
co
n e
gen
ce
o
he amilia a
nd
he un amili
a
in he
Am
e ican
g o esque p o ides bo h he m
ean
ing and he o m
o
he
wo
k.
Th
e g o esqu
e,
how
e e
, is o en
co
n used wi h o he o ms
o
he s ange
in
ic ion, wi h pa ody
and sa i e as well as wi h absu dis and su ealis ic ion.
l
migh
p e e
use ul a
A
long
heji·onlie!"·
Fla1111e y
O'Conno .
Juan
Rul o
and
ile
o mo[
i e
Ame ican G o esque 77
his poin o con as he unique ela ionship be ween
he
amilia and un amilia
in he g o esque wi h di e en pa ems in simila o ms. The h ee examples
which Philip Thomson p esen s as examples
o
he g o esque
in
his book a e
ac ually classic ins ances
o
g o esque desc ip ion in he se ice
o
hese o he
o ms. (1-9) Swi 's g o esque dcsc ip ion in
"A
Modes P oposal''
o
he sale
and ea ing
o
I ish babies
is
pa
o
a la ge pa ody. ha is, he un amilia (canni-
balism) is seen in e ms
o
he amilia (home economics) Ka ka's g o esque de-
sc ip ion
in
"Thc Me amo phosis"
o
he ans o ma ion
o
G ego Samsa in o a
bee le se s he scene o an ex ended an asy, ha is, he amilia (waking up, ge -
ing a ound as a human) is seen in e ms
o
he un amilia ( he body
o
an insec ).
Becke 's g o esque desc ip ion in Wa
o
he ge ia ically in i n Lynch amily
in
pa
o
he Ia ge con ex
o
an ahsu dis no el, ha is, he amilia ( amily li e)
comple e/y disappea s in o he un amilia ( he Bosch-like p esen a ion) wi h no
pa icula meaning. Since no hing makes sense he e anyway, li le is iola ed as
he amilia is apidly es anged and dissol ed in o a pe asi e aliena ion. In
addi ion, one migh choose almos a andom any
o
he
non-pa odie passages in
a William Bu oughs no el o illus a e g o esque desc ip ion in he se ice
o
su ealis ic ion, in which only he un amilia exis s, in no ela ionship a ali o
any un ep esen ed amilia i y: he unexpec ed is expec ed, he un eal he only
no m.
The ela ionship be ween he amilia and he un amilia in he Ame ican
g o esque mos closely esembles ha
o
he absu d, wi h which
i
is o en
con used. Fo ins ance, se e a) c i ics ha e called he Thea e
o
he Absu d a
hea e
o
he g o esque, as does Kaise -Lenoi in El g o esco c iollo. In he ab-
su d, howe e , he un amilia
is
in oduced
in
he in e es o meaninglessness,
wi hou meaning, lea ing no basis o any hing happening o no happening,
as
in
an Ionesco play. The image
o
an albino dwa d essed in a mili a y uni o m
in
he New Yo k subway would be an absu di y, since wi hin he con ex
o
a majo
me opoli an subway sys em, he alien and chao ic a e commonplace, p o iding a
pe ec se ing o he absu d. In he g o esque, howe e , he un amilia is p e-
sen ed agains a meaning i nly es ablished by a highly s uc u ed amilia . The
image
o
an albino dwa d essed as a p ies celeb a ing a mass in a Mexican
ca hed al would be g o esque, o i depends o i s meaning on he meaning
which i iola es.
As
he iola ion
o
a s a ic, hie a chal social eali y cen e ed
in
eligious belie by a mo e p imi i e
o
unci ilized eali y, he Ame ican g o-
esque is as oo ed in eligion as
is
blasphemy i sel . This
is
an essen ial pa
o
he cason why i has eme ged
in
he Sou h and
in
La ín Ame ica, whe e he e
emains a s ong social, mo al and eligious hie a chy o iola e. Flanne y
O'Conno w i es ha
84 James
No an
(223-24) Pa ke is,
in
ac , a whi e Indian, his a ooed
body
e lec ing a usion
o
he wild and he Eu opean, wi h
"a
ige
anda
pan he on ei he shoulde , a
cob a
coiled abou a o ch on his ches , hawks on his highs, Elizabe h Il and
Philip
o e whe e his s omach and li e we e espec i ely." (224)
The
g o esque
en an-
glemen
o
wild animals wi h kings and queens, emblema ic
in
i sel
o
h
e
con e gence p csen in he Ame ican g o esque, is he essence
o
bis own
con-
lic p ojec ed on o his body. His pagan eligion
o
ins inc and sexuali y
is
mo e
han skin deep., howe e , o he eels "as
i
he pan he and he lion and
he
se pen s and he eagles and he hawks had pene a ed his skin and li ed inside
him in a aging wa a c." (225) This in eg a ion
o
in e io wi h ex e io unde -
lines he can and hypoc isy
o
Sa ah Ru h
's
undamen alis Ch is iani y
supe -
imposed on he beas -like body. Ye Pa kc 's con ac wi h he p ecipi a es a
deepe need o a11icula e his belonging, hus he ponde s he igh a oo o
b ing
Sa ah Ru h o hell." (232) His eligious ision in he o m
o
a ac o acciden
wi h a
buming
ee becomes li e ally a buming bush
o
ision, du ing which he
is
h own "on his back" and hea s himsel "yelling
in
an unbelie ably loud oice,
GOD ABOYE." (232)
l
is equally impo an ha when he i s ies o
make
la e o Sa ah Ru h be a e ma ying he , she pushes him " la on his back on
he
g ound." (229) Pa ke
's
back, he only un a ooed space le on his body, be
ing
he only ana omical pa ha he himsel canno see, ep esen s his incomple ed
ela ionship wi h God, eligion, socie y: he o hemess beyond body. Bakh in
emphasizes ha he g o esque body exis s
"in
he ac
o
becoming.
I
is
ne e
inished, ne e comple ed." (317) Pa ke eels his incomple ion: "The e ec s
was no
o
one in ica e a abesque
o
colo s bu
o
some hing haphaza d
and
bo ched. A huge dissa is ac ion would come o e him and he would go
o
and
ind ano he a oois and ha e ano he space illed up." (225) This desi e
o
comple ion is always ealized in e ms
o
his body, he e o e i is on his "in is-
ible" back whe e he ies o ansla e he unphysical in o he physical, gi e pagan
exp ession o hc Ch is ian, using an image which he hinks will please ha link
which joins him o his h ea eningly bodiless o m
o
o hemess. Pa ke chooses
he "haloed head
o
a la s em Byzan ine Ch is wi h all demanding eyes" om
he mo e p imi i e and less eassu ing pic u es
o
God nea he b
eg
inning
o
he
book which he a is shows him." (234-35) The "ali demanding eyes,"
o
cou se,
ma ch Sa ah
Ru h's
"i
ce pick" ones.
paganism
~
"a abesques
o
men and beas s
and lowe s"
de o mi y as s igma a
a oo
o
Byzan ine
Ch is on his back
"GODABOVE"
"on
his back"
woman-as-
eligion
A/on i heji-on ie : Flanne y O 'Conno . J uw1
Rul i>
and
he
o m
o
he
Ame ican G o esque 85
The meaning
o
his g o esque de o mi y is
he
social meaning which i
iola es, and in hc undamen alis , u al Sou h, he a oo o a Byzan ine Ch is
is as close o blasphemy as one can ge , bo h in o m and con en . In a cul u e
whe e women a oid cosme ics, he a oo i sel
is
seen as a o n
o
mo al
dep a i y, and onc
o
a sinis c "Papis " Ch is would
be
an ou age, a de ilemen
o
hc al eady de iled. Sa ah Ru h
's
eac ion immedia ely ans o ms he in o
woman-as-ci iliza ion: he i s wo ds a e "And you
ain'
going o ha e none
o
me his nca mo ning," as she hen sc eams, "Idola y! En laming you sel wi h
idols unde e e y g een ee! I can pu up wi h lies
and
ani y bu I
don'
wan no
idola o in his house!" (243) She hen bea s Pa ke
on
his back wi h a b oom
"un il la ge wel s had o med on he ace o he a ooed Ch is ." (244) His
de o mi y becomes li e ally hc bleeding s igma a
o
his misunde s ood paganism
and de ea ed
in
his ina icula e longing o belong, he whi e Indian wi h he
Biblical name
-"w
ho called himsel Obadiah Elihue"-is seen "leaning agains
he ee, c ying like a baby.'' (224)
Luca e o and Mo ones as dis inc cha ac e s appea o play almos iden ical
oles as g o esque icks e s, ye he de o mi y which chey display as emblema ic
o
hei bodily shamanism
is
a ges u e,
no an
ac ual de o ma ion
o
hei bodie
s.
The pola i ies be ween he bes ial na u e
o
Luca e o and he eligiosi y
o
he
bea as is immedia ely es ablished in he i s scene, as Luca e o squa s wi h his
pan s down while he old women app oach shou ing "A e Ma ía Pu ísima." This
pola i y is played
o
wi h ex ensi e i ony du ing hei encoun e , as he women
a e po ayed
in
c en mo e adically bodily e ms.
Fo
example, Luca e o p e-
ends no o ecognize one
o
he women, an ex-lo e who g ew old wai ing o
him and who inally iden i ies he sel . A e he hapsodizes abou he icklish-
ness, she in o ms him
hac
she abo ed his baby like
"un
pedazo de cecina." (122)
Like he egg-ea ing abbi s which Luca e o claims o keep, bo h
he
and Mo ones
a e mo al abe a ions somewhe e be ween he human
and
animal. Luca e o ma -
i
ed
Mo ones' daugh e ou mon hs p egnan wi h he a he ' s child. E en hough
o he women Mo ones is he "Niño San o," Luca e o calls him
"e
l i o demonio,"
one who "dejó sin í genes es a pa e del mundo." (128) The in e play be ween
"sa
n o" and "demonio" culmina es when we
leam
ha Mo ones slep wi h mos
o
hese bea as, showing g ea ende ness.
Aho a es á hablando la Hué1 ana, la del e e no llo ido. La ieja más
ieja de odas. Tenía lág imas en los ojos y le emblaban las manos:
-Yo
soy hué ana y él
me
ali ió de mi o andad; ol í a encon a a mi
pad e y a mi mad e en él. Se pasó
la
noche aca iciándome pa a que se me
baja a
mi
pena ...
La única noche eliz la pasé con el Niño Anacle o, en e sus
co
n
so
lado es b azos. Y aho a
ú
hablas mal de él. (129)
86
Jam
es
No an
The lesson
o
spi i ually edemp i e sexuali y which Mo on
es
augh he
bea as
is summed up by one ("Soy sol e a pe o engo ma i
do
")
who explains: "
Soy
muje . Y una
na
ce
pa a da lo que le dan a una ... Sí, él me aconsejó
que
lo
hicie a, pa a que
se
me qui a a
Jo
hepá
i
co. Y me jun é
co
n alguien. Eso de
ene
cincu
en a
años y se nue a es un pecado
."
( 130)
"e
l i o demonio"
demon
de o mi y as
s
igma a
sex wi h bea as "Lo conocimos
como
san o"
sain
The de o mi y
o
bo h Luca e o and
Mo
ones, w
hi
ch is also he s igma a
o
hei sexual shamanism, is he
ge
s u e
o
ha ing sex wi h bea as. Again,
h
e
meaning
o
his de o mi y depends on he social meaning which
i
iola es.
In
Spanish Ca holic coun ies, widowed o single olde women, usually g andmo h-
e ly and ana ically eligious, who d ess in black and haun he chu ches, wh
e e
h
ey pe o m small cho es such as sweeping o changing lowe s, a e known
as
bea as ( om
de
i
a bea a, a pious e i emen
).
Occasionally he objec s
o
e
e
-
ence, humo o e en dis as e, he idea o ha ing sexual ela ions wi h a bea a is
as
ou ageously g o esque a ges u e as any La in Ca holic (w
ho
end
o
be p o ic
ie
n
in
such ges u es) could i
ma
gine. Ye Mo ones, and owa d he end
o
he
s o y
Luca e o, bo h ea he bea as as woman-as-body,
no a
s woman-as- eligion, mu
ch
o he women's edemp ion. Al hough mos
o
he s o y conce ns he sain -as-
demon,
h
e las line poignan ly summa izes he women
's
iew
o
he demon-
as
-
sain :
"E
l Niño Anacle o. El sí sabía hace el amo ." (133) The supe iciali y
o
he imposed Ca holic eligion
is
s ipped away by he "amo oso" shamanism
o
Mo on
es
o hese poo Mexican-Indian women, and a mo e powe ully p imi-
i e idea
o
bod
il
y eligion is asse ed, as i is wi h he de o mi y o Pa ke
's
a oo.
As g o esques, humo is a signi i
ca
n pa
o
h
e design
o
bo h s o ies,
dis ancing he eade by means o a egional l
ow
s yle o m he mo e
di
s
u
bing
psychological and symbolic aspec s w
hi
ch de i e om
h
e se iously na u alis
i
c
na a ion. The i ony inhe en in he
co
n e gence
o
he a ious con adic o y
lc els
o
pagan/Ch is ian, demon/sain and woman as body/ci iliza ion is also a
unc ion
o
he con as ing s yles
in
which he ma e ial
is
p esen ed.
On
he
onc
hand is an ellip ically s uc u ed na u a
li
sm
, which
o
cuses in almos pho o-
g aphic de ail on he animalis ic aspec s
o
he human body, as well as
on
h
c
po e y and isola ion
o
he en i onmen . This emphasis
on
di and de o mi y,
howe c . is unde cu by an exagge a ed egional humo con
si
s ing
o
slaps ick
Alo11g
he
ji'on ie : Flanne y
O'Comw
.
Juan
Rul o
and
i e
o m
o
he
Ame ican G o esque
87
si ua ions, p epos e ous names used as i onic cha ac e iza ions, wo d play, dia-
lec speech and egional language sugges i e
o
bamya d humo .
Bo h s o ies a e na a ed in a de ached, economical manne wi h no au ho-
ial in e e ence. Al hough "Pa ke 's Back" is na a ed in he hi d pe son and
"Anacle o Mo ones" in he i s by Luca e o, bo h begin hei pas ense na a-
ions wi h he man/woman con on a ion, p og essing he ac ion backwa d and
o wa d in ime by omniscien lash-backs
in
he o me and dialogue and in e-
io monologue in he la e , un il hey culmina e
in
he
de o mi y which punc u-
a es each ending. Bo h ac s
o
de o ma ion a e p oduc s
o
a s uc u al ension
which hey esol e. Ye bo h na a i es a e illed wi h gaps o leaps which in i e
eade iden i ica ion and pa icipa ion
as
he missing connec i es solici he con-
e sion
o
su ace ealism in o psychological dep h. Bo h au ho s ha e made
pe cep i e commen s on his impo an aspec
o
hei s yles. Rul o claims ha
he supp essed "las ideas con que el au o llenaba los acíos y e i é la adje i ación
en onces de moda ... La p ác ica del cuen o disciplinó, me hizo e la necesidad
de que el au o desapa ecie a
...
" (ln amundo, 6) O
'C
onno likewise commen s
ha "connec ions which we would expec in he cus oma y kind
o
ealism ha e
been igno ed ... he e a e s ange skips and gaps." These gaps make he na a i e
"lean away om ypical social pa e ns, owa d mys e y and he unexpec ed."
(Mys e y, 40) This ellipi ical s uc u ing
o
scenes, dialogue and desc ip ion o ms
na a i e spaces which cause he eade o mo e om he le el
o
he highly
conc e e, in which he g o esques
is
ancho ed, owa d he eligious, o which he
g o esque poin s.
Ye con e ging wi h his na a i e high s yle is a comic low s yle which
simul aneously e e ses his di ec ion, p e en ing eade in ol emen and dis-
a ming he mo e dis u bing le el o which he high s yle ellip ically poin s,
holding
i
in i onic ension wi h egional humo . In "Pa ke 's Back," he sym-
bolic implica ions
o
Pa ke
's
back a e i onically unde cu by he slaps ick ci -
cums ances unde which he always lands
on
his back. A e Sa ah Ru h e uses
his ad ances and pushes him ou
o
he uck, on his back, "he made up his mind
hen and he e o ha e no hing o do wi h he ." The nex sen ence lows wi h
pu e comic iming: "They we e ma ied in he Coun y O dina y's o ice beca
us
e
Sa ah Ru h hough chu ches we e idola ous." (229) The e, we ge a slice o
egional humo
as
"an old woman wi h ed hai who had held o ice o hi y
yea s and looked as dus y as he books" ma ies hem " om behind he i on g ill
o
a s and up desk and when she inished she said wi h a lou ish,
'T
h ee dol-
la s and i y cen s and ill dea h do you pa ." (23
0)
Ano he comic exagge a ion
a e he names, which a e hemsel es a
o1m
o
i onic desc ip ion.
"O
bidiah" and
"Elihue" a e bo h Biblical names which mean
"w
o shippe
o
Jeho ah" and
"w
hose God is He," espec i ely. Sa ah Ru h
's
las name, Ca es, means
"a
ich
and delica e ood," no doub
as
commen a y on how she "jus h ew ood in o he
88 James
No/un
po and Je i boíl." (231) Thc use
o
hese i onic names. as well as he " ed
neck"
dialec
o
hc dialogues, he s ock ypes and o he o ms
o
egional amilia i y
c ea es a one
o
glossy ca iac u e which con as s wi h he de ails
o
po c y,
su e ing and cmo ional e oci y which d aw he eade in o he na a i e.
In
'"Anacle o Mo ones," he s o y i
sel
is s uc u ed like he joke abou
he
" en li le Indian maidens" as he en li le lndian bea as disappea one by
one,
lca ing only
"one
li le lndian naiden" o sl
eep
wi h Luca e o. The slaps ick
one
o
his eliminalion p ocess
is
es ablished in he i s
sce
n
e,
as he en
women
co e hei eyes
in
unison as Luca e o bu ons up
hi
s pan s.
The
way in which
he
" en li lc Indian maidens" alk and ac
in
unison h oughou
he
s o y
makes
hem appea idiculous in spi e
o
he na u alis ic e ms in which hey a e
de-
sc ibed. As
in
he O
'C
onno s o y, he exagge a ed na nes a e each wo d
plays
which i onically cha ac e ize each cha ac e .
The
own whe e he mule-women
come om
is
,
o
cou se, Amula. Anacle o Mo ones sugges s
"A
naclás ica"
(ana
-
omical: ben backwa ds, de o med) as well as ''Mo ón," he " nound"
o
s
ones
w
hi
ch he. in ac , has become in he ya d.
The
alli e a i e Lucas Luca e o s
ug
-
ges s Luci e Lucí e o, which means
bo1h
de il and esplenden ligh
.
The
names
o
he women nake each a comic ype: Pancha F egoso suggesls "panza" (belly)
" egona" (sc ubgi l).
The
woman who abo ed Luca e o's baby like "
un
pedazo
de ceci
na"
is,
o
cou se, named Nie es.
Th
e one who o
mi
s is Filomena (nig
h
-
ingale). and
1h
e
''so
l e a" who knows how o
di
s ibu e wha God ga e
he
is
Micaela
( emale monkey). The use
o
Mexicanismos and al nos conslan wo d play
adds
o
1hi
s one
o
comic exagge a ion. Luca e o has con essed "has a
po
adelan ado," ( 125) plays
on
"san o" and "san e o" and on Mo ones, who looking
upon hi n wi h
"o
jos pa a pe pe ua se." ga e him his daugh e
"ya
pe pe uada."
( 127) The inal i e lines
o
he s o y, sepa a ed by a na a i e jump,
ac as
a
s uc u al punch line which ocuses he i ony esulling om he con e gence
o
he wo s yles: "El Niño Anacle o. El sí sabía hace
el
amo ."
(l
33)
The
combi-
na1ion
o
na u alis ic and hu no ous s yles p ojec s on o his lines
an
e ec simi-
la o Faulkne
's
"long s and
o
i on-g ey hai " as he epulsi e (sex wi h hea as)
ye pa he i
ca
lly amusing ( hey like i ) u h is d i en home.
Th
e e ec
o
bo h
o
hese s o ies. as wi h "A Rose
o
E nily,"
is
haun ing: since he comic elemen s
p e en a ull e no ional in ol e nen and ca1ha sis, ye he na u alis ic desc ip-
ions es ic any ull elease by laugh e . he
e
ade is no pe ni ed a sa is ac-
o y exi om he wo lds in which he has been subme ged. They e nain wi h he
eade as a oubling p esen
ce
a li le longe han usual, a sligh s nile ha ends
o u ow
1h
e b ow mo e one hinks
on
i .
A long he on ie :
Fla1111
e y
O'C
onn
o
. Juan
R11/ o
and
he
o m
o
he
Ame
ican
G o
e
sq
ue
89
IV
The g o esque
is
a oubling, no an upli ing,
o m
o
ic ion. Consequen ly,
despi e he in e es
in
he g o esque a oused by he wo k
o
he Sou hem and
Hispanic-Ame ican w i e s
o
he pas ew decades,
he
enn
con inu
es
o e ain a
nega i e c
onn
o a ion o many. Sou he n w i e s
ha e
been c i
i
cized o hei
g o esques
by
Ch is ian c i ics such as Van Wyck
B ooks
o many
o
he same
easons ha Hispanic-Ame ican w i e s ha e been c i icized
by
Ma xis c i
ic
s,
ha is, in he wo ds
o
he Ma xis c i ic He nán Vidal,
h
e g o esque ep esen s
"los mi os demoníacos
de
la deg adación humana." (102) E en hough, i onically,
O'Conno
was a de ou Ca holic and mos
o
he Hispanic-Ame ican w i e s a e
ou spoken Le is s, pe haps hese c i ics a e co ec in one poin : he e is some-
hing p o oundly sub e si e abou he Ame ican g o esque. As a o m,
i
no
only unde min
es
his heology
o
ha ideology, bu pe haps idicul
es
a
li
such
impo ed amewo ks, wha e e hei con en , ali such a emp s o upli ei he
h
e soul
o
he
masses, and he eby o make li e a u e he mi o and guide
o
socie y.
O'Conno ,
as she sees i , w i es "abou people who a e poo , who a e
a lic ed in bo h mind and body, who ha e li le --0 a bes a dis o ed-sense
o
spi i ual pu pose, and whose ac ions appa en ly
do
no
gi e he eade a g ea
assu ance
o
he
joy
o
li e." (Mys e y, 32) Rul o's subjec , acco ding o Ca los
Monsi ais, is
"la
poesía sec e a y pública
de
los pueblos y las comunidades
campesinas, man enidos en la ma ginalidad y el ol ido p og amado po la nación
(sinónimo
de
las clases dominan es) ... Ma ginalidad y amnesia han sido ác icas
indispensables de la es a egia
de
la mode nización
...
"(
lnji·amundo, 27) In ei-
he case, hese coun y people a e no pa
o
so ne eligious o social p og am-
ma ic
o
hei own de elopmen ; as indi iduals, hey seem o esise no only he
poli ics
o
eligion bu he eligion
o
poli ics. No a e hey oman icized, as
Eu opean w i e s cnd o po ay hei
own
pic u esque cul u al pas s.
I
any-
hing, he pain,
co
n lic and humo
o
hei li cs a e exagge a ed
h
e e along ha
on ie which mos u ban eade s, awash in de elopmen al ideologies, know
li le abou in he amnesia
o
hei mode niza ion. As eade s, we um o he
g
o esque
wi h
he
cno
mous
pleasu e
ha
we
do
o
con i m
ou
own
Ame icanness,
ou
sense
o
Ame ica as a place a he han as an idea.
I
is
o be
cxpec ed, hen, ha hose who i s concei e
o
Ame ica as an idea
-e
i he o
he be e men
o
he soul
o
socie y-should no app o e
o
his shameless
my hologizing
o
pl
ace, especially
o
one so ecen ly sna ched om
h
e o es
o
jungle, whe e a ooed men seduce p eache s' daugh e s, eligious cha la ans
slcep wi h li le
old
ladies, and no hing
is
qui e as
i
should be.
Ye he g o esque ep esen s a highly un ealis ic o m
o
eg
ionalism. '
Tm
always ha ing
i
poin ed ou o me," w i e s O'Conno , " ha
li
e
in
Geo gia is
90
James
No/a
11
no a ali he way l pic u e i , ha escaped c im
in
als
do
no oam he
oads
cx ennina ing amiles, no Bible salesmen p owl abou looking o gi ls wi h
one
leg." (Mys e y. 38) Rul o has a simila complain , ha his coun ymen
"c een
que
la
no ela es una ansposición de hechos, que debe desc ibi la egión y
los
pe sonajes que allí i ie on.
La
li e a u a es icción y
po
lo an o, es
men i a."
(
/11 amu11d
o.
7)
Al hough he g o esque s ongly es abli
shes
his sense
o
place,
i is ne e signi ican un il
i
anscends i , exagge a ing and o he wise dis o ing
his
pl
ace in o mo e uni e sal me apho »
O'Conno
's Geo gia, Rul o's
Jalisco,
Ga cía Má quez' Macando and Faulkne 's Yoknapa awpha a e ul ima ely
places
only in he Ame ican mind. As such, "Los une ales
de
la Mamá G ande"
is
as
much abou he Long amily dynas y in Louisiana
as
i is abou Colombia,
Faulkne 's Ahsalom
Absalom
is as much abou Cen al Ame ican c iollos
as
i is
he amily his o y
o
a Mississippi plan a ion. Mo e ecen w i e s con inuing
in
he Sou he n/Hispanic-Ame ican o m
o
he g o esque would
be
Rosa io
Fe é
in
Papeles de Pando a and John Kennedy Toole in A Cmz ede acy
o
Dunce
s,
books which add Pue o Rico and New O leans o hese places
in
he Ame ican
mind. As we ha e seen wi h he wo s o ies by
O'Conno
and Rul o, he w i e s
o
Ame ican g o esques se
em
o ali be clling he s
ame
s o y in i s
my iad
a ia ions, using place pa adoxically o mo e beyond i . This is he Ame ican
s o y, one which
we
al eady know, bu in i s g o esque e sion. a de o med
ye
blessed icks e does ba le wi h ci iliza ion along he on ie and,
as
in
h
e
Paleoli hic ca e d awings, lea es mys e iously igh ening ye amusing
signs
which indica e ha ci iliza ion did no win-comple ely.
Along
he
on ie :
Fla1111e y
O'Conno . Juan Rul o
a11d
he
o m
o
he
Ame ican G o esque
91
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