Abstract

HERNANDEZ QUEZADA, Francisco Javier. Animal Sacrifice in Mexican Literature: Four Examples. Lit. mex [online]. 2020, vol.31, n.2, pp.139-165.  Epub Sep 11, 2020. ISSN 2448-8216.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.litmex.2020.31.2.0006.

In this article we take a general look at four Mexican authors who have tackled the subject of animal sacrifice: Ramón Rubín, Juan José Arreola, Héctor Aguilar Camín and Alberto Chimal. Our broad approach is that one way or the other harmful and disadvantageous situations are expressed for the non-human entity, considering the social implications of the role which has been assigned to it across time, be it in the symbolic act or in today’s production logic. Departing from such Derridean considerations about the existing relationship between humans and fauna, it is evident that in the works of the authors analyzed, the topic or use of animals presents the material reach of their sacrifice, especially when the matter of the literary representation of pain or physical suffering comes into play. It is relevant at the same time to affirm that in this work we consider the reflections of several authors who, from a philosophic or anthropologic perspective, have delved into the fundamental aspects of the sacrificial act, pointing out the evocative role of the animal, rightly conceived as an important cultural event, wherein are manifested transcendental ceremonies (René Girard) or the rites of passage which strengthen the group’s ties (Clifford Geertz).

Keywords : Sacrifice; Animals; Mexican literatura; Ritual; Modernity.

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