The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés
This essay examines turn-of-the-21st-century responses to the foundational 19th-century novel by Villaverde, Cecilia Valdés, pointing to the ambivalence toward textual authority and migration as key elements in Cubans’ relationship to historical memory. The analysis of two plays, a puppet show, a no...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Latin American Research Commons
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Latin American Literary Review |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://account.lalrp.net/index.php/lasa-j-lalr/article/view/334 |
| _version_ | 1797655801152667648 |
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| author | Christina Civantos |
| author_facet | Christina Civantos |
| author_sort | Christina Civantos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This essay examines turn-of-the-21st-century responses to the foundational 19th-century novel by Villaverde, Cecilia Valdés, pointing to the ambivalence toward textual authority and migration as key elements in Cubans’ relationship to historical memory. The analysis of two plays, a puppet show, a novel, and works of visual and performance art, all of which have a textual element and were produced between 1994 and 2006, demonstrates the ongoing use of the Cecilia story to question key elements of Cuban historical memory. While contesting the legacy of the colonial and nation-building era, these contemporary works open a dialogue regarding narratives about Cuban migration, from the 19th century into the present. They unpack the established narratives about Cuba’s colonial period—slavery, race, socioeconomic class, and sexuality, and also contribute to new narratives about migration. The relationship between movement, authority, and textuality in these responses to Villaverde’s novel points to how 19th-century historical memory, and intertwined with that migration, are central to the ongoing renegotiation of Cuban identity. By re-working Villaverde’s novel—figuratively or literally manipulating the pages of Cecilia Valdés—Cuban writers and artists participate in a ritual of resignification that redefines lo cubano. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T17:19:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b3cb1471d1b84079a69c388fb86e696e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2330-135X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T17:19:48Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | Latin American Research Commons |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Latin American Literary Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-b3cb1471d1b84079a69c388fb86e696e2023-10-19T14:48:03ZengLatin American Research CommonsLatin American Literary Review2330-135X2022-09-01499910.26824/lalr.334The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia ValdésChristina Civantos0University of MiamiThis essay examines turn-of-the-21st-century responses to the foundational 19th-century novel by Villaverde, Cecilia Valdés, pointing to the ambivalence toward textual authority and migration as key elements in Cubans’ relationship to historical memory. The analysis of two plays, a puppet show, a novel, and works of visual and performance art, all of which have a textual element and were produced between 1994 and 2006, demonstrates the ongoing use of the Cecilia story to question key elements of Cuban historical memory. While contesting the legacy of the colonial and nation-building era, these contemporary works open a dialogue regarding narratives about Cuban migration, from the 19th century into the present. They unpack the established narratives about Cuba’s colonial period—slavery, race, socioeconomic class, and sexuality, and also contribute to new narratives about migration. The relationship between movement, authority, and textuality in these responses to Villaverde’s novel points to how 19th-century historical memory, and intertwined with that migration, are central to the ongoing renegotiation of Cuban identity. By re-working Villaverde’s novel—figuratively or literally manipulating the pages of Cecilia Valdés—Cuban writers and artists participate in a ritual of resignification that redefines lo cubano. https://account.lalrp.net/index.php/lasa-j-lalr/article/view/334MigrationHistorical MemoryCubaCirilo VillaverdeCecilia ValdésJuana Valdés |
| spellingShingle | Christina Civantos The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés Latin American Literary Review Migration Historical Memory Cuba Cirilo Villaverde Cecilia Valdés Juana Valdés |
| title | The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés |
| title_full | The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés |
| title_fullStr | The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés |
| title_short | The Pliable Page: Turn-of-the-21st-Century Reworkings of Villaverde’s Cecilia Valdés |
| title_sort | pliable page turn of the 21st century reworkings of villaverde s cecilia valdes |
| topic | Migration Historical Memory Cuba Cirilo Villaverde Cecilia Valdés Juana Valdés |
| url | https://account.lalrp.net/index.php/lasa-j-lalr/article/view/334 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT christinacivantos thepliablepageturnofthe21stcenturyreworkingsofvillaverdesceciliavaldes AT christinacivantos pliablepageturnofthe21stcenturyreworkingsofvillaverdesceciliavaldes |