Revolución and Narcos: national myths, parody and satire in Jorge Ibargüengoitias Los relámpagos de agosto and Juan Pablo Villalobos' Fiesta en la madriguera

Abstract

The Mexican Revolution and its powerful myths, such as national hero Francisco "Pancho“ Villa, as well as the mythicized depictions of the omnipotent and dangerous drug lord, the narco, offer means of identification for parts of the Mexican population and shape their self-perception. Both national myths share the elements of rebellion against institutional power and the legitimization of violence, and will be understood as facets of a single myth in this dissertation.
Based on the premise that parody is a "response to power," this thesis highlights the disruptive aspects of parody and satire. Parallel to the parodistic rupture with literary genre conventions, the novels "Los relámpagos de agosto" by Jorge Ibargüengoitia (1964) and "Fiesta en la madriguera" by Juan Pablo Villalobos (2010) both satirically question the myths of Revolución and Narcos in the extrafictional world. The subversive and irreverent attitude of parody and satire is a disruptive force that can be understood as empowerment. At the same time, the aspect of empowerment is inherent in both myths: the violation of norms leads to emancipation from structures and traditional patterns.

Keywords

Literature, literature and society, revolution, revolución, narco, myth, Mexico, mexicanidad, parody, satire, Jorge Ibargüengoitia, Juan Pablo Villalobos