Between women and colometas

literature, history and memory in La plaza del diamante de Mercè Rodoreda

Abstract

This article focuses on reflections and analyzes involving the question of the materialization of memory in the novel La plaza del diamante (1962) by the Catalan / Spanish writer Mercè Rodoreda. From the transdisciplinary studies on the relationships between literature, history and memory, questions emerged that guided our research, seeking to understand the process of materialization of the memory emerging from the period of the civil war, post-war and Franco's military dictatorship in Spain, for example. through literary narratives. To find answers to this problem, we have outlined as a general objective to analyze the types of memories present in the work La plaza del Diamante and how they converge to revive Spain's silent history, observing the way these memories are constructed throughout the novel. We focus on the concepts of social, individual and collective memory according to Mercedes Juliá, Jacques Le Goff (1994) and Maurice Hawlbachs (1990). As a result of this research process, we understand that the novel fulfills one of its functions, which is the materialization of memory, because when transporting and narrating the individual events that affected a large part of the Spanish population, the memory reaches the collective scope, creating a space global where their stories are shared. In addition, the literature appears in this scenario as a review of the memories of society, showing that individual and collective memories are fundamental to avoid forgetting significant historical periods and events.