Brewster, Claire (2000) Political writing in times of crisis: the work of Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, Carlos Monsiváis and Elena Poniatowska. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis focuses on the political work of Octavio Paz, Carlos Fuentes, Carlos Monsivâis and Elena Poniatowska as shown through their articles, essays and comments. It analyses their views and seeks to explore how accurately they portrayed domestic politics and the development of Mexican society from 1968 to 1995.

It begins with a brief discussion of the debates surrounding the intellectual’s function in Latin America, and Mexico in particular, and includes biographical details of the four writers to identify their different perspectives. This is followed by detailed analyses of their responses to five crucial episodes in contemporary history: the Student Movement of 1968; the relationship between writers and the State during the presidencies of Luis Echeverria Alvarez and José Lôpez Portillo after the movement’s tragic end; the reactions of Monsivâis and Poniatowska to the development of civil society in the aftermath of the 1985 earthquakes that devastated Mexico City; the 1988 presidential election campaigns and the highly contentious result; the presidency of Carlos Salinas de Gortari, especially the 1994 Zapatista rebellion in the southern state of Chiapas. It investigates the measures taken by the writers to combat government restraints, and the ways in which they defied censorship of the press to ensure that matters of national importance were kept in the public domain.

The study concludes by monitoring the changes in Mexican society during the last thirty years, and assesses if Paz, Fuentes, Monsivâis and Poniatowska accurately reflected this transformation. Rarely cited sources are included to illustrate the political aspects of the writers’ work and to provide an understanding of their important roles as opinion-formers. Findings are based upon the wealth of articles and comments that appeared in the Mexican and international press, supplemented by interviews with Monsivâis, Poniatowska, and various academics in Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PQ Romance literatures
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Mexican essays -- 20th century -- History and criticism, Authors, Mexican -- 20th century - Political and social views, Mexico -- In literature, Politics and literature -- Mexico, Mexico -- History -- 1946-1970, Mexico -- History -- 1970-1988
Official Date:	July 2000
Dates:	Date Event July 2000 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of History
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Brewster, Keith, 1956-
Sponsors:	British Academy
Extent:	iii, 405 leaves
Language:	eng

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