Abstract
Mano de obrais one of the most studied novels written by the Chilean author Diamela Eltit (b. 1949). Scholars have paid particular attention to the novel’s socioeconomic commentary at the level of the plot. They have not, however, conducted a close examination of how the novel expresses this criticism through its narrative form. Nor have they explored the relationship of the novel’s literary techniques to the politico-cultural context that it portrays. This article engages in a close reading of the literary techniques thatMano de obraemploys to depict a certain social context. It also addresses some politico-cultural implications of the novel’s narrative form in the context of Chile’s contemporary society to demonstrate that the novel foregrounds a sense of pessimism and hopelessness about linking Chilean workers’ subversive past with their submissive present.
Highlights
Mano de obra es una de las novelas más estudiadas de la escritora chilena Diamela Eltit (1949–)
This article engages in a close reading of the literary techniques that Mano de obra uses to portray a certain social context, with special attention to the use of enumeration, repetition, parentheses, and titles of the workers’ press
It aims to demonstrate that Mano de obra underscores a pessimistic view of the contemporary labor system and workforce and foregrounds a hopeless reconstruction of the link between the workers’ subversive past and submissive present
Summary
A Failed Link between Chilean Workers’ Subversive Past and Submissive Present in Diamela Eltit’s Mano de obra. This article engages in a close reading of the literary techniques that Mano de obra employs to depict a certain social context It addresses some politico-cultural implications of the novels narrative form in the context of Chiles contemporary society to demonstrate that the novel foregrounds a sense of pessimism and hopelessness about linking Chilean workers’ subversive past with their submissive present. Chile’s current mobilization has complex roots in the multiple legacies of neoliberalism (and with the caveat that it is still too soon to embark on conclusive analysis), for commentators such as Manuel Antonio Garretón, it speaks of a sociedad atomizada rather than politizada, that is, divided rather than politicized, which may increase inequality precisely because of the lack of a political structure able to channel and protect the demands of the streets (Garretón 2019, 61) These recent and unprecedented developments further support the idea of a close link between Mano de obra and the specific sociopolitical context from which it emerges. This is the context and the pessimism, as the analysis will demonstrate, that permeate Mano de obra’s story and narrative form
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