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Julio  Cortázar Naguib Mahfouz

Julio  Cortázar Naguib Mahfouz. You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions. Cortázar’s Beginnings. Born August 26, 1914 in Brussels, Belgium Buenos Aires (1918-1951) Father abandons family – Los Venenos

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Julio  Cortázar Naguib Mahfouz

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  1. Julio CortázarNaguib Mahfouz

  2. You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.

  3. Cortázar’s Beginnings • Born August 26, 1914 in Brussels, Belgium • Buenos Aires (1918-1951) • Father abandons family – Los Venenos • Mother selects readings – Jules Verne & begins imaginary writing “Buenos Aires was some kind of punishment” "I spent my childhood in a haze full of goblins and elves, with a sense of space and time that was different from everybody else's.“ (Cortázar in Plural)

  4. Cortázar’s Life • 1935 to 1945 - French Literature Teacher in Buenos Aires high schools • 1951 – emigrates to France from opposition Juan Domingo Perón • First collection short stories Bestiary • Translated Robinson Crusoe & Edgar Allan Poe into Spanish under United Nations • Active in Latin American politics -visits Cuba in 1961 and Nicaragua in 1983

  5. Influences on Cortazar • Jean Cocteau´s Opio • French Surrealism- subconscious & imagery • Jules Verne (science fiction) • Edgar Allan Poe (translations) • James Joyce(stream of consciousness) • Borges- similar themes of fantasy/ perception of reality – Los Reyes

  6. Rayuela • Rayuela (1966, Hopscotch) – masterpiece • Anti-novel using stream of consciousness with multiple endings • Reflection of life in that protagonist desperately searches for his life‘s purpose in South America and Europe (Existentialism) • Reader re-arranges chapters using “Table of Instruction”

  7. Mahfouz’s Background • Born in Cairo in 1911 • Cairo is a huge influence on his works • Published his first novel in 1939, published 10 more before Revolution of 1952 • Strict Muslim Upbringing • Stopped writing after this for several years • Every work is political in nature • Books banned in many Islamic countries for being blasphemous • Assassination attempt

  8. Commemoration • Cairo (hometown) • 100 years from birth • 2011 declared Mahfouz year

  9. Influences on Mahfouz • Proust, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Ibsen • Taha Hussein, MuhammedHusayn Haykal • Henri Bergson • Egyptian nationalism & politics • Socialism- Al-Khalili and New Cai

  10. Their Legacy “opened doors for five generations of Arab novelists.” Mahfouz • Modern Egyptian/Middle Eastern Literature • Alaa Al Aswany • Bridged gap between Arabic literature and European and American traditions Cortázar • Pioneer Latin Boom & magical realism genre • w/ Marquez & Carlos Fuentes • Rayuelaopened the door to linguistic innovation of Spanish language and influenced deeply Latin American writers

  11. Magical Realism

  12. Magical Realism – Literary Elements • Not quite surrealism: maintains realistic foundation • Authorial reticence • Nonchalance of narrative, lends reality • Strong feeling of mystery • Forget about reason, logical progression of time, social conventions • Social criticism • Break away from established power (literary, political, social) • Colonial background • Hybridity • Multiple planes of reality

  13. Themes • Passage of time • Not exactly linear, maybe circular, parallel, or discontinuous • Isolated individual • Unidentified – why? • Travel and movement • Coincides with rising action • Industrialization and modernization • South American and Egyptian urbanization • Morbidity and mortality • Very dark

  14. Literary Devices • Situational irony • Wow. Didn’t see that coming. • Foreshadowing • I should totally have seen that coming. • Symbolism • Forest; school • Conflict • Internal? External? You decide. • Semantic parallelism • Dude, that’s the same exact story.

  15. Vocabulary • Translucent (adj.) • Allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through; semitransparent • Trundle (v.) • To push or propel forward, often roughly • Acolyte (n.) • Devoted follower or assistant in religious rituals • Exertion (n.) • Vigorous action or effort • Unmarred (adj.) • In excellent condition, free of flaws and imperfections

  16. Discussion How do you interpret the ending of “The Night Face Up”? Which is dream and which is reality, and does it even matter for Cortazar’s purposes? If so or if not, what might Cortazar be implying? On balance, is Mahfouz’s attitude toward school positive or negative? In particular, what does he highlight about the school, be it good or bad? In light of this particular attribute, what point might Mahfouz be making? Be sure to use the text. Both stories heavily involve two different time periods. Do the authors seem to prefer one over the other, and why? Lastly, why did they choose to manipulate time as a central focus of the stories? And do you accept the idea that there is no explanation? - Julio Cortázar

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