The Autobiographer as Parrhesiastes. Applications of Foucauldian Thought to Autobiographical Literature in the Hispanic Context

Abstract

This paper proposes an approach to Michel Foucault´s thought on the Self Writing in the Greco-Latin context. The aim is to apply some of the most representative concepts of Foucault´s recent work to recent autobiographical literature. The ideas he develops in his approach to classical genres such as the hypomnemata or the moral epistles, as well as his study of parrhesia, can contribute to the interpretation of contemporary literary texts. At the same time, tracing Foucault´s influence on them will help to understand the relevance and validity of Foucauldian thought in the present. The works of five authors will be analysed: The Uruguayan Mario Levrero, the Argentinian María Moreno and the Spaniards Carlos Pardo, Andrés Trapiello and Iñaki Uriarte. The aim of this selection is to offer a comparative sample of the autobiographical literature in different traditions of the Hispanic world.