Carlos Fuentes: The Creation and Re-Creation of Social Reality

Paper Summary:

This paper asserts that Fuentes used his writing as an opportunity to create and re-create the social reality of the lives of the people of Mexico as they shaped and continue to influence the development and history of their country. In order to establish this thesis more fully, the following works of Fuentes are examined: "Aura" (1965), "The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World" (1992), and "The Years with Laura Diaz" (2000). Initially, an overview is provided of Fuentes' thoughts on writing and his use of writing in documenting the lives of Mexicans and the history of Mexico, his homeland. This is followed by a discussion of Fuentes' works as each illustrates his efforts to construct and re-construction Mexico's reality through the lives of her people.

From the Paper:

"Through his writing, Fuentes has assumed a commitment for insuring that his readers as well as himself take responsibility for reconceptualizing the manner in which they perceive both the past and present of Mexico. His desire to accomplish this task is clearly documented by Fuentes himself when he provided the following description of the role of Latin America within history: "To restore some kind of tragic consciousness ...to make the United States understand that memory counts--that there is history, and that it does not renew itself every 24 hours when Dan Rather appears on the set" (as cited in Lippard, 1990, p. 6). As is evidenced within this statement, Fuentes presents a challenge to himself as a writer as well as to his readers to recognize that the social construction of reality that may be presented to us in the world around us may not be an accurate representation of reality and history as it truly exists."

More papers on Carlos Fuentes: The Creation and Re-Creation of Social Reality:

• Term Paper # 107250 : "The Ecological and Life Models of Social Work"
• Essay # 137326 : "The Economic and Cultural Importance of the Cod Fishery to Atlantic Canada"
• Essay # 86090 : "Carlos Fuentes and Freedom"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: