Doug P. Bush, Capturing Mariposas: Reading Cultural Schema in Gay Chicano Literature (Cognitive Approaches to Culture)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Capturing Mariposas: Reading Cultural Schema in Gay Chicano Literature by Doug P. Bush Felicia Trievel (bio) Doug P. Bush, Capturing Mariposas: Reading Cultural Schema in Gay Chicano Literature. Ohio State University Press, 2019. Pp. 192. Throughout Capturing Mariposas: Reading Cultural Schema in Gay Chicano Literature, Doug Bush makes a compelling argument for the representation of cultural schema through a close reading of Chicanx works about and for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific literary trait or strategy utilized by the author in each of the works and a theory-based analysis of cultural schema. The inclusion of lesser-known works invites readers to expand their knowledge of Latinx literature and to incorporate views that may not have been previously discussed or known into their personal library. It would have been easy for Bush to make his argument with authors such as Gloria Anzaldúa (whom he does cite in the introduction); instead he chose to introduce new voices that describe different experiences that are representative and relatable to queer readers and their allies. In his introduction, Bush provides an overview of the approaches utilized in the construction of the book as well as his intentions. Bush also draws heavily on his own experience as a professor to provide his rationale for the selection of the specific books studied here. It is particularly fascinating to read student experiences with the novels, which provide the reader with examples of how the novels mentioned affect real people. The first chapter, “Affect and Cross Understanding,” analyzes two works by Rigoberto González: Butterfly Boy and Crossing Vines. Throughout the chapter, Bush analyzes how each book affects the reader, the latter showing directed empathy and the former representing distanced sympathy. In Butterfly Boy, the reader is able to feel with the characters whereas in Crossing Vines, the reader feels for the characters. Bush reaches this conclusion by first outlining the differences between sympathy and empathy, followed by a thorough analysis of chapters describing how different parts evoke empathy of the reader. He closes the chapter by describing how, despite their differences, when read together, the two books portray a complete experience that will evoke different responses. The analyses provided in the chapter are based in theory, specifically that of Suzanne Keen, as well as in personal experiences. The thorough analysis of the works discussed allows the conclusions to be clear to everyone, whether they have read González’s work or not. The following chapter, “Sexual Shame,” outlines the different narrative techniques utilized by Manuel Muñoz in two collections of short stories, Zigzagger and What You See in the Dark. In Zigzagger, Muñoz utilizes a vague narrator, which leaves many gaps in what is explicitly stated and what the reader is meant to know or understand. What You See in the Dark draws the reader into the text more. While vagueness could result in potential interpretation errors, Bush argues that the gaps in narration represent a cultural schema, specifically the experience of [End Page 275] homosexuals in Mexican Catholic families. Muñoz states in an interview that it is well known that he is a gay man, but this is never spoken about in his family (83). This experience parallels the understood but never stated homosexuality of the characters and expresses the shamefulness and need to hide that is assigned to being queer in Mexican society. In the third chapter, “Unexpected Surprises and Magical Realization,” Bush explores cognitive theory of surprise. The focal point of this chapter is Alex Espinoza’s Still Water Saints, which is first presented as magical realism on the surface but is quickly revealed to be something much different. This book was “magically realized” through the cover art and the reviews on the back of the novel, which describe it as “bewitching” and “magical.” This manipulation was done to make the book fit into the generic schema of magical realism, which is a common trait of Latinx literature. With magical realism the reader might expect to see the unexpected and be surprised; however, reading this novel results in unexpected surprises when the opposite of what readers expect—magic or rather...