Civilization And Barbarism:Roberto Bolano's View On Literature And The Reconstruction Of History In Distant Star And By Night In Chile

Roberto Bolano is a famous Chilean writer and poet in the new century and has a profound influence on Spanish language literature and world literature.His works often focus on the relationship between literature and life.In his books,he frequently reflects on the power of writing and reading,linking these two activities with violence and even with death.This kind of literary creation shows his unique view on literature.Distant Star and By Night in Chile are two wonderful novellas written by Bolano.Both have Chile around the dictatorship as their background.Although they have different literary skills and plots,they demonstrate Bolano's philosophical idea and value orientation.Distant Star exposes the negative impact that the dictatorship has had on the literati community and the violence imposed by the Neo-Nazism in the name of art.By Night in Chile makes a reflection on the responsibility that intellectuals should take during the dictatorship and the post-dictatorship period.These two novellas have similar length and discuss the relation between politics and literature,allowing readers to reflect on the role that literati should play in the specific political context.This thesis is divided into five parts.The introduction includes the profile of the author and the literature review of previous investigation,to set the foundation for the study,and to decide the direction of writing.The first chapter introduces the corresponding background of Chile,as well as the historical and cultural context,showing the problems existing in this country during 1963-1990s,to make the importance of this period clear.The second chapter will conduct a detailed analysis of them.The next chapter turns to the discussion of Bolano's view on literature and meditates on whether his fictional work can reconstruct the history and recollect the group memory of Chile.The conclusion reiterates the relevance of Distant Star and By Night in Chile,summarizing the entire exposition and the results obtained in this investigation.Bolano thinks that the literature is not a privileged power which necessarily leads to civilization,but it can help us face the discomfort and horror.Meanwhile these two works try to reappear the dictatorship,making their readers experience the specific context,understand and fell the motive of that time,as well as the influential history.