Kiss of the Spider Woman Ch 11-14 Notes PDF

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Summary

Literature and Revolution in Latin America
Juan Decastro
In class notes on Kiss of the Spider Woman chapters 11 through 14...

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Literature and Revolution in Latin America Juan Decastro 11/8 Kiss of The Spider Woman Ch 11-14 Ch 11 -

Why does Puig resort to psychoanalysis

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Finchelstein on psychoanalysis -

“psychoanalysis became an identity of the liberal Argentina defeated by the military and Peronism. In a totalitarian context, psychoanalysis showed its emancipatory potential and became a counterpoint to reactionary conceptions of the sacred, competing with the right for spaces previously occupied by the state and competing also with the church for spaces traditionally occupied by religion... Argentine psychoanalysis may have retreated to culture from politics, but this “retreat” posed a long-lasting resistance against the forces of authoritarianism. Standing against the return of the repressed, Argentine psychoanalysis was itself ultimately repressed. Its persecution by the military dictatorship shows that this idea of Freud as a target in an Argentine civil war was created to last”

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Footnote: danish doctor Anneli Taube, a fictional author that Puig writes his own opinions under -

Puig, “Taube’s” own psychoanalysis: sensitive boy, oppressive father, boy decides (conscious decision, active choosing) not to adhere to what the father wants (hypermasculine) and leans towards the feminine

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Not a greater proportion of gay to straight people because most people accept the assigned roles given to them which “makes” them straight (according to Puig)

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Dumb people unable to question gender roles

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“Until very recently” reference to change happening is the stonewall riots in NYC

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Puig’s psychoanalysis applies to Molina

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What might have Puig thought about marriage equality: maybe not against it but he is against ideology, idea of queer people connecting to bourgeois culture and heterosexual family values

Chapter 12 -

Valentin and Molina slept together

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Next day Molina is out of it, Valentin tells him not to think about it which is different to the beginning of the book when he deep-dives and picks apart everything (including the movies) under the lens of psychoanalysis

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Valentin continues to study despite personal changes and changes in relationship with Molina

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“Sex is innocence itself” (Valentin) -

kind of apologizing (?) for Molina’s assault of a minor which landed him in prison

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Is sex really innocent? They only sleep together because Molina is spying on Valentin, didn’t happen truly organically

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Molina backtracks from betraying Valentin, putting his mother at risk

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If we cant change the outside circumstances we can try to create a utopian society where we are

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Island metaphor

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Change in Valentin, wants Molina to join a group “even if it’s a group that just does a lot of talking”

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Before he would have been more intense, logical, nothing concrete is being done for the revolution if it’s just a lot of people talking, action needs to be done

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Doesn’t specify a Marxist or revolutionary group

Chapter 13 -

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Mexican film -

Fake film

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Journalist and the retired singer who is with the mafia boss

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Encompasses all of Puig’s thoughts

Molina thinks a woman (or person in “woman” role) should be afraid of the man of the house, get ordered around to make him feel masculine

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Valentin is extremely against this, Puig’s ideas shown through valentines words

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Shows change: Valentin doesn’t want to continue the conversation instead of debating

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No stage directions for the “screenplay”

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No narration in KOTSW, first or third person

Chapter 14 -

Warden calling the presidents office

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doesn’t really make sense, all Valentin did was organize a strike to demand a union

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Does Valentin really hold that much vital information? And if he did why didn’t they torture him more? Or why was he there at such a low-level demonstration with factory workers if he was so high up?

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Why is Valentin so happy that Molina is going to get out?

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Just to give a message to his comrades?

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Has he come up with an important revolutionary plan in prison without any other revolutionaries? (3 years in prison)

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Molina trying to save valentin and himself without giving himself and his plan away...