Prison, cinema and carnaval in Manuel Puig El beso de la mujer araña

Abstract

This essay proposes that in Manuel Puig's El beso de la mujer araña (1976), elements of contemporary mass culture —such as cinema or boleros— are used to create a space of intimacy and exchange that successfully subverts preconceived notions —such as the prison as a space of oppression or hegemonic masculinity as the sole standard of virility—and allows for closeness between disparate social groups. To understand this, we start from the idea that Puig's novel is a product framed within postmodernity, which utilizes mass culture products not as mere aesthetic additions but as a fundamental part of its proposal. Mikhail Bakhtin’s ideas, particularly those related to carnivalesque literature, help to interpret the subversions that unfold in the novel.