I. Rechy Reviews
David Leavitt reviews John Rechy's biography, About My Life and the Kept Woman, in today's NYT's Sunday Book Review.
In preparation for our discussion and analysis of Rechy's City of Night, read Leavitt's piece and suggest some reasons for the elision of both Latino literary history in the review, as well as the queer history it occludes even as Leavitt's own literary trajectory inheres to this history.
This is the site Leavitt refers to in his review: johnrechy.com. Leavitt's own page can be found on the University of Florida's English Department site.
The Los Angeles Times also reviewed About My Life and the Kept Woman.
II. Performances of Essentialized Latino Gender Scripts
Today we'll study some popularized public sphere renditions of Latino sexualities. To what extent are essentialized gender roles deconstructed as much as they are reinscribed in John Leguizamo's performances?
III. City of Night as Postmodern Picaresque
Prototype: Anonymous, Vida del Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades (1554)
Characteristics of the traditional picaresque novel:
1. Subaltern status. The protagonist is poor, hungry, and the child of "dishonorable" parents.
2. Origins. The narrative is structured as a pseudo-autobiography that begins with a story of origins.
3. Determinism. The pícaro, or rogue, attempts to better his or her lot through the agencies of others but always fails.
4. Moralistic. All picaresque novels tell of “aberrant” behavior that is punished one way or another.
5. Social critique. Society is criticized. The pícaro is privileged spectator of social hypocrisy.
6. Realism. Describes "grimy" facets of life in detail.
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