カルロス・フエンテスの『アウラ』についての一考察 : 魔術的リアリズムの視点から

Abstract

In this paper Carlos Fuentes's Aura is discussed especially from the viewpoint of so-called "magical realism". A Mexican famous novelist Fuentes was also a diplomat and had a very international background. Thus he continued to search for the identity of his mother country Mexico and himself throughout his career as an author. Aura is one of the well-known "magical realism" literary works of Latin American literature. In this fearful Gothic novel Felipe Montero happens to enter into the strange and illusive space (house) which seems to be quite isolated from this world. In there he meets a very old lady and her beautiful niece Aura, who are, in fact, one person, not two. The old lady struggles to call back her youth through her another self by keeping the young man Montero beside herself in her dark world. Being influenced by Ugetsu Monogatari, written by Akinari Ueda in the 18th century Japan, Fuentes tries to inquire into the inscrutable depth of the very mysterious and tenacious human heart, the endless illusion and desire of it through the transformation from reality to fantasy or vise versus which meaningfully characterizes "magical realism" literary world. In this paper, while some features of Aura being discussed, what the author most wished to describe in it is mainly examined from the "magical realism" viewpoint. I very much thank Professor Vera Kutzinski and Professor emeritus & Mrs. Fred C. Robinson of the English Department of Yale University for their warm support to my study. I also thank Sterling Library and Binecke Rarebook Library of Yale for their warm help to me.