Writing Pancho Villa's Revolution : Rebels in the Literary Imagination of Mexico

The 1910 Mexican Revolution saw Francisco "Pancho" Villa grow from social bandit to famed revolutionary leader. Although his rise to national prominence was short-lived, he and his followers (the villistas) inspired deep feelings of pride and power amongst the rural poor. After the Revolution (and Villa's ultimate defeat and death), the new ruling elite, resentful of his enormous popularity, marginalized and discounted him and his followers as uncivilized savages. Hence, it was in the realm of culture rather than politics that his true legacy would be debated and shaped. Mexican literature following the Revolution created an enduring image of Villa and his followers."Writing Pancho Villa's Revolution" focuses on the novels, chronicles, and testimonials written from 1925 to 1940 that narrated Villa's grassroots insurgency and celebrated - or condemned - his charismatic leadership. By focusing on works by urban writers Mariano Azuela (Los de abajo) and Martin Luis Guzman (El aguila y la serpiente), as well as works closer to the violent tradition of northern Mexican frontier life by Nellie Campobello (Cartucho), Celia Herrera (Villa ante la historia), and Rafael F.Munoz (-amonos con Pancho Villa! ), this book examines the alternative views of the revolution and of the villistas. Max Parra studies how these works articulate different and at times competing views about class and the cultural "otherness" of the rebellious masses. This unique revisionist study of the villista novel also offers a deeper look into the process of how a nation's collective identity is formed. The 1910 Mexican Revolution saw Francisco "Pancho" Villa grow from social bandit to famed revolutionary leader. Although his rise to national prominence was short-lived, he and his followers (the villistas ) inspired deep feelings of pride and power amongst the rural poor. After the Revolution (and Villa's ultimate defeat and death), the new ruling elite, resentful of his enormous popularity, marginalized and discounted him and his followers as uncivilized savages. Hence, it was in the realm of culture rather than politics that his true legacy would be debated and shaped. Mexican literature following the Revolution created an enduring image of Villa and his followers. Writing Pancho Villa's Revolution focuses on the novels, chronicles, and testimonials written from 1925 to 1940 that narrated Villa's grassroots insurgency and celebrated—or condemned—his charismatic leadership. By focusing on works by urban writers Mariano Azuela ( Los de abajo ) and Martín Luis Guzmán ( El águila y la serpiente ), as well as works closer to the violent tradition of northern Mexican frontier life by Nellie Campobello ( Cartucho ), Celia Herrera ( Villa ante la historia ), and Rafael F. Muñoz ( ¡Vámonos con Pancho Villa! ), this book examines the alternative views of the revolution and of the villistas . Max Parra studies how these works articulate different and at times competing views about class and the cultural "otherness" of the rebellious masses. This unique revisionist study of the villista novel also offers a deeper look into the process of how a nation's collective identity is formed. The 1910 Mexican Revolution saw Francisco "Pancho" Villa grow from social bandit to famed revolutionary leader. Although his rise to national prominence was short-lived, he and his followers (the villistas) inspired deep feelings of pride and power amongst the rural poor. After the Revolution (and Villa's ultimate defeat and death), the new ruling elite, resentful of his enormous popularity, marginalized and discounted him and his followers as uncivilized savages. Hence, it was in the realm of culture rather than politics that his true legacy would be debated and shaped.
Mexican literature following the Revolution created an enduring image of Villa and his followers. Writing Pancho Villa's Revolution focuses on the novels, chronicles, and testimonials written from 1925 to 1940 that narrated Villa's grassroots insurgency and celebrated--or condemned--his charismatic leadership. By focusing on works by urban writers Mariano Azuela (Los de abajo) and Martín Luis Guzmán (El águila y la serpiente), as well as works closer to the violent tradition of northern Mexican frontier life by Nellie Campobello (Cartucho), Celia Herrera (Villa ante la historia), and Rafael F. Muñoz (¡Vámonos con Pancho Villa!), this book examines the alternative views of the revolution and of the villistas. Max Parra studies how these works articulate different and at times competing views about class and the cultural "otherness" of the rebellious masses. This unique revisionist study of the villista novel also offers a deeper look into the process of how a nation's collective identity is formed.
The 1910 Mexican Revolution saw Francisco &ldPancho&rd Villa grow from social bandit to famed revolutionary leader. Although his rise to national prominence was short-lived, he and his followers (the villistas) inspired deep feelings of pride and power amongst the rural poor. After the Revolution (and Villa's ultimate defeat and death), the new ruling elite, resentful of his enormous popularity, marginalized and discounted him and his followers as uncivilized savages. Hence, it was in the realm of culture rather than politics that his true legacy would be debated and shaped.Mexican literature following the Revolution created an enduring image of Villa and his followers. Writing Pancho Villa's Revolution focuses on the novels, chronicles, and testimonials written from 1925 to 1940 that narrated Villa's grassroots insurgency and celebrated-or condemned-his charismatic leadership. By focusing on works by urban writers Mariano Azuela (Los de abajo) and Martin Luis Guzman (El aguila y la serpiente), as well as works closer to the violent tradition of northern Mexican frotier life by Nellie Campobello (Cartucho), Celia Herrera (Villa ante la historia), and Rafael F. Munoz (iVamonos con Pancho Villa!), this book examines the alternative views of the revolution and of the villistas. Max Parra studies how these works articulate different and at times competing views about class and the cultural "otherness" of the rebellious masses. This unique revisionist study of the villista novel also offers a deeper look into the process of how a nation's collective identity is formed. The Politics Of Incorporation : The Calles Era, 1925-1935 -- Villa And Popular Political Subjectivity In Mariano Azuela's Los De Abajo -- Reconstructing Subaltern Perspectives In Nellie Campobello's Cartucho -- Villismo And Intellectual Authority In Martín Luis Guzmán's El águila Y La Serpiente -- Soldierly Honor And Mexicanness In Rafael F. Muñoz's Vámonos Con Pancho Villa! -- The Battle For Pancho Villa During Cardenismo, 1935-1940 -- Villismo's Legacy. Max Parra. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [165]-178) And Index. How Mexican culture after the Revolution created an enduring literary legacy surrounding the famed revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa.