Cultural Re(production) in Maruxa Vilalta’s Pequeña historia de horror (y de amor desenfrenado)

Abstract

Through the lens of Gérard Genette’s idea of transtextuality, this study looks at Maruxa Vilalta’s representation of cultural manifestations in order to question how they affect social relations. Pequeña historia de horror (y de amor desenfrenado) is analyzed as a theatrical version of “Susanna and the Elders” precisely to show Vilalta’s broader concern with cultural reproduction. This study brings to light the interconnectedness between this play and other cultural texts ranging from Chopin’s “Polonaise Heroic” to Mexican pop culture figure El Monje Loco. I thus show Vilalta’s innovative questioning of artistic value and, more importantly, its social implications through the “distorted mirror” she creates in this particular play.