The spirit of evil: Prosecuting narrator and mimetic violence in Juan Vicente Melo´ s “Viernes: La Hora Inmóvil”.

The spirit of evil: Prosecuting narrator and mimetic violence in Juan Vicente Melo´s “Viernes: La Hora Inmóvil”.

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15174/rv.v18i37.862

Abstract

Despite his technical experimentation and remarkable style, Juan Vicente Melo´s short-stories lack critical views outside his homeland in Veracruz. This paper intends to provoke new readings of his work through stylistic and formal analysis of the narrator in one of his short-stories (“Viernes: La Hora Inmóvil”), from his book Fin de semana (1964), linking it to mimetic desire and violence, as proposed by René Girard´s theories. This short-story depicts a prosecuting narrator who breaks focalization restrictions and shows omniscience and mental influence to propel transgenerational violence due to the rivalries concerning the establishment of a family line and provokes the sacrificial death of the main character, so that they could symbolize a spirit of evil.

Author Biography

Adán Tatewarí Hernández Medellín, Colegio de San Luis

Es licenciado en Lengua y Literaturas Hispánicas por la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Titulado con mención honorífica con la tesis “Maniobras de Cristo en mi cabeza. Una lectura de Hospital Británico de Héctor Viel Temperley”, que usó como base para su libro “El cielo trepanado. Sobre Hospital Británico de Héctor Viel Temperley”, ganador del Premio Bellas Artes de Ensayo Literario José Revueltas en 2019. Actualmente, cursa la Maestría en Literatura Hispanoamericana en El Colegio de San Luis, donde desarrolla una tesis sobre “Plata quemada”, de Ricardo Piglia. Sus líneas de investigación se centran en la narrativa mexicana e hispanoamericana del siglo xx y xxi, con especial atención en la Generación del Medio Siglo mexicano y los autores del Post-Boom en Argentina.

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Published

2026-01-06

How to Cite

Hernández Medellín, A. T. (2026). The spirit of evil: Prosecuting narrator and mimetic violence in Juan Vicente Melo´ s “Viernes: La Hora Inmóvil”.: The spirit of evil: Prosecuting narrator and mimetic violence in Juan Vicente Melo´s “Viernes: La Hora Inmóvil”. Valenciana, 19(37), 109–131. https://doi.org/10.15174/rv.v18i37.862

Issue

Núm. 37 (2026): Valenciana, enero-junio 2026

Section

Artículos

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Copyright (c) 2025 Adán Tatewarí Hernández Medellín

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