Abstract

GOMEZ-GOYZUETA, Ximena. Ancillary literature and canon in two essays of Letras de la Nueva España by Alfonso Reyes: “Teatro Misionario” and “Teatro Criollo en el siglo XVI”. Connotas. Rev. crit. teór. lit. [online]. 2023, n.26, pp.79-110.  Epub June 26, 2023. ISSN 2448-6019.  https://doi.org/10.36798/critlit.v0i26.438.

We will analize two of the seven essays in Letras de la Nueva España (1948) by Alfonso Reyes: “III. Teatro misionario” y “IV. Teatro Criollo en el siglo XVI”. We will identify the perspective on these genres within the framework of the construction of the history of Novohispanic literature during the 16th century. Reyes categorizes missionary theater as “service literature”. For de Creole theater, he identifies its double existence: entertainment theater and Jesuit school theater. We will investigate the reason for this treatment based on the Alfonsine notions “literature in purity” (literatura en pureza) and “ancillary literature” in Deslinde (1944). We will observe, thus, how the enunciative voice that identifies, describes, interprets and categorizes acquires a critical look that assumes both traditions in a certain way. We will relate this analysis to Reyes’ notions of “culture” and “cultural synthesis” expressed in his essay Posición de América (1942) and to the idea of the literary canon and its construction from the colonial period proposed by Walter Mignolo (1998). This relationship makes clear, on the one hand, the sharpness of Reyes in assessing these genres of New Spain literature, at a still early stage for the investigation of this literary history. On the other hand, it shows the validity of Alfonsine’s reading in light of the current state of affairs on these genres and how some guidelines can be established in relation to Mignolo’s view of literary studies.

Keywords : theatrical genres; ancillary literature; hybridization; culture; cultural synthesis.

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