The demythification of reality in the narrative of Julio Ramon Ribeyro.

Abstract

This study was concerned with the Peruvian writer Julio Ramon Ribeyro, a self-proclaimed skeptic whose narrative probes reality, exposing the myths undermining Peruvian society while, at the same time, illuminating the precarious situation of twentieth century man in a world characterized by frustration and discord. Ribeyro's works penetrate the socio-cultural facades which control his characters' destinies and contribute to their repeated failures, self-effacement, and solitude.

Through the conflicts that Ribeyro's characters experience with environment and self, a distorted, yet recognizable image of the world emerges. His narrative represents a creative search for modern man's place in a defective, imposing reality which, by denying aspirations, engenders a dream world.

Although Ribeyro is a Peruvian who considers himself marginal with respect to society, his narrative offers a universal view of existence in which reality remains inflexible and illusion is a constant.

Ribeyro explores the new themes that emerged from the social changes Peru underwent between 1948 and 1962, with an objectivity that is both realistic and subjective. He refines and expands images reminiscent of the regionalists, so that they reflect the spiritual and moral problems confronting modern man: the upheaval of human relationships, the loss of tradition, and the frantic search for new identities.