Abstract:
This dissertation explores how the use of metafiction in four novels that were published in the 21st century creates a dialogue with the historical memory of the Spanish Civil War. These works, which are referred to as 'metanovels' in this study, are: El corazón helado (2007) by Almudena Grandes; Mala gente que camina (2006) by Benjamin Prado; Otra maldita novela sobre la guerra civil (2007) by Isaac Rosa, and Cielo abajo (2005) by Fernando Marías. One of the most important focuses of the project is how present perspectives influence interpretations of the past. In fact, in all of the analyzed novels there are characters that live in the 21st century and investigate a mystery from the Civil War or the dictatorship. This study argues that the generational distance in time from the historically traumatic events provides a point of view that facilitates a type of reconciliatory re-writing of the Civil War that was not possible three decades before the publication of the books studied. Furthermore, according to this research the technique of reflexivity used by the authors --and represented in the books themselves by characters who are also readers and/or writers-- increases the sense of connection and the feeling of involvement in the reconstruction of the past felt by the readers of these works. Finally, this research project maintains that the metanovels pertaining to the literary genre analyzed in this study function as keepers of Spanish historical memory for their readers.
