Carbajal, Brent J.

About the author: Brent Carbajal earned his PhD from the University of Washington, and is currently Assistant Professor of Spanish at Western Washington University. He is the author of numerous articles on Latin American literature.

Veracity of Disguise in Selected Works of JosÉ Donoso Illusory Deception

2000 0-7734-7752-7
While much has been written about the importance of masks as a thematic element in the works of Chilean author José Donoso, little scholarship exists in which the principles of disguise are utilized to analyze the narrative structure of Donoso’s novels. The notion that language and narrative form serve as literary disguises that further distort identities already masked by sociopolitical reality is crucial to the study of much of Donoso’s fiction. In this study, the theme of the mask is considered on a variety of narrative levels in four of Donoso’s novels to approach a more complete understanding of his use of the motif. Another contribution to scholarship is the fact that an entire chapter is dedicated to the role of the double in masking/exposing identity in little-studied novel Donde van a morir los elefantes.