| In this work I analyze the model of society---that is, how people are grouped together as consequences of social hierarchy---proposed in early novels that appeared in Spanish America in the early nineteenth century. My research is founded/based on the insights offered by socio-historical works addressing the nature of the society established by the Spanish empire in the Americas and, more specifically, in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. I highlight the situation of the Creoles within the colonial establishment. These members of society are represented by the protagonists in the novels Vida y hechos del famoso caballero Don Catrin de la Fachenda (1820) and el Periquillo Sarniento (1816) who openly challenges the status quo of colonial society. They are born into a world where hierarchy prevents social mobility, as a result they devise a way to circumvent this obstacle, "passing" or pretending to be somebody with illustrious ancestry whose rightful place is among the dominant class. Within this framework, I explore the continuities and contrasts between the model of society proposed in the previous novels and social patterns inherited from the colonial era. |
