PROPAST REVOLUCIONARNIH IDEALA U ROMANU SMRT ARTEMIJA KRUZA KARLOSA FUENTESA

Abstract

This paper analyses Carlos Fuentesʼ social engagement in The Death of Artemio Cruz, which focuses on the birth, the development path and the death of the Mexican Revolution. The paper relies on the same attitudes towards the social engagement and responsibility of the prose writer held by Jean-Paul Sartre, Michel Foucault, and postmodern theorists, since The Death of Artemio Cruz is considered to be one of the first manifestations of budding postmodernism in Latin America. We also refer to the theoretical considerations that Fuentes expresses in his prose works and essays. We point out that Carlos Fuentes uses the body and the actions (bribery, speculation, oppression of the Indian people) of the former revolutionary, Artemio Cruz, to bring to light the recurring political patterns of behavior, and to prove that, in accordance with Foucaultʼs conception, the body is the mirror of the state. Through the aforementioned elements we also analyse the manifestations of the failure of revolutionary ideals, striving to shed light on the appeal that Fuentes makes to his readers in order to point out the necessity of (political) engagement, which is a prerequisite for the survival of the revolution itself. Therefore, it is important to highlight that the death of Artemio Cruz does not necessarily mean the death of the revolution or the state, but the possibility of its regeneration, which can be achieved through the engagement of each individual.