Memory and Spatiality in Post-Millennial Spanish Narrative by Lorraine Ryan

Abstract

Reviewed by: Memory and Spatiality in Post-Millennial Spanish Narrative by Lorraine Ryan Victoria L. Ketz Ryan, Lorraine. Memory and Spatiality in Post-Millennial Spanish Narrative. Routledge, 2016. 240 pp. ISBN: 978-1-138-25322-3. Since the passing of the Ley de memoria histórica (2007) in Spain, there has been a reevaluation of Civil War events in social and political contexts as well as in cultural productions. The memories transmitted to subsequent generations have facilitated most of this. While much of the scholarship in this field has focused on the interplay between temporality and memory, the novel aspect of this tome lies in its exploration of the connection between memory and space. Both are vital to the formation of social relationships, the construction of identity and the perpetuation of culture, since objects, places, and landmarks recreate history. This book has carefully selected works that demonstrate how the Francoist memory construct perpetuated the trauma of the Civil War, destroying the opposition's identity and important elements of their memory. The chapters study how hegemonic discourse marked the survivors and their descendants, by altering and affecting their memories and allowing the trauma to invade every space. The texts not only explore the interrelationship between memory and space, but also the effects of class, gender, age and level of urbanity. The authors engage with memory as a way to understand childhood incongruities or to criticize the politicized memory of Spain. These novels cover the historical period between 1935 and 2005 and are chronologically ordered. Divided into seven chapters, each examines a [End Page 158] different narrative and is framed by an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction first addresses the motivation for the reclamation of the Republican voice by each author. Next, it gives a concise theoretical framework of memory studies and spatiality as discussed in the work of Halbwachs, Nora, de Certeau, Hall, and Miller, among others. Then, Ryan explores how Francoists used public spaces in urban and rural contexts to influence and control memory during the regime. Chapter 1 deals with Dulce Chacón's novel Cielos de barro (2000), where spatial control serves to reinforce the rigid class denominations. Through an analysis of the manor home and its land, Ryan finds that the space becomes a locus of loss with the accumulated references to sickness, injustice, and class conflict. The characters' experience of space demonstrates the damaging effects of class distinctions and ideological shifts. Chapter 2 concentrates on the work Martina, la rosa número trece (2006) by Ángeles López, in which gendered space is influenced by the upheaval of the war experience. In this chapter, Ryan explores the relationship that exists between the protagonist's body and Madrid, where space functions as an enforcer of the Francoist desire for homogeneity. Chapter 3 focuses on the short story "Los girasoles ciegos" (2004) by Alberto Méndez, in which attempts to overcome trauma by constructing home as an idyllic space are squelched by repressive forces. Ryan discusses the antithetical relationship established between private and public spaces in the postwar period through the young protagonist's perception as well as the resulting breakdown of the strict division between spaces. Thus, the memories of the adult protagonist allow him to decode and interpret years later the "institutionalized processes of terror and spatial control" (102) which operated during his childhood. Chapter 4 deals with Pan negro (2004), the novel written by Emili Teixidor, which explores how a child conceptualizes space as he alters his personality to survive the post-war period. This chapter has two foci; the first to review the historical and theoretical position of children during this time, and the second to systematically reveal the protagonist's progress toward calculated affiliation with the victors. The adoption of Francoist ideology demonstrates how the young child understands the interconnectivity of his identity with public spatiality and social acceptability. Chapter 5 centers on La sombra del viento (2001) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, in which the protagonist's anamnesis coincides with the national impetus to recuperate historical memory. Ryan theorizes that the setting of Barcelona assumes a primary role as a space of resistance allowing the characters to maintain their Republican identities...