Refiguring universalisms: the case of three postmodern spanish novels

This dissertation seeks to understand why novels of the post-Franco period have engaged with the theme of universality. The project traces the evolution of the terms “universal,” “universalism” and “universality” in the twentieth century, and explains the ways in which postmodernist fiction and literary theory have criticized these notions for their tendency to assert master narratives at the expense of marginalized cultures. Although their association with imperial discourses has contaminated universalisms, it is argued that three metafictional novels by authors Bernardo Atxaga, Enrique Vila-Matas, and Javier Cercas attempt to move beyond the particular by affirming the interconnectedness of humans and nonhumans. Drawing on ecological theory and continental philosophy, this project engages a close reading of the primary texts and concludes by proposing new cosmological understandings of selfhood. It is shown that Atxaga, Vila-Matas, and Cercas highlight literature’s capacity to forge new networks of relationship between humans, nature, material objects, and historical influence.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Ben Arenge