Tag Archives: piglia

11/6/21

Journalistic Integrity & its Consequences

Ricardo Piglia’s “Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime” is a short story interested in untouchable higher-ups and those who wish to expose them. I found this story both difficult to comprehend and extremely captivating. Piglia’s decision to have the titular “Crazy Woman” be the key to the solving of the crime is very interesting. In a sense, this decision sets the fictional detectives up for failure. The Crazy Woman proves to be somewhat of an unreliable narrator- her speech occurs in a sort of stream of consciousness rant, and we are predisposed to distrust her based on the fact the she is seemingly homeless and literally described as crazy. Unfortunately, it is keeping up appearances that society holds most dear, and this poor possibly unbalanced woman is no match for Almada’s arrogance and elevated societal position. Even once Anahi is proven to be onto something with her information- that Almada really is the murderer- the journalist Renzi is forcefully encouraged to look the other way. The understanding is that if he isn’t killed for reporting on this issue, he will be fired, and having no job will be the least of his worries.

This story is a tragic reminder of the casualties that occur in the search for the truth. Many journalists are killed or imprisoned for getting too close to the truth of what is really happening. We see this occur all over the world, and many individuals are forced to make a choice: are they willing to die for their pursuit of truth? This is too big of a price to pay, and it should not ever have to be asked, but the reality is, just like in Piglia’s story, criminals are protected by powerful people with many resources. It is a bleak reminder of the state of our present, and of our future if corruption and bribery are not dealt with swiftly and severely.

10/17/21

Cryptic Whistle-Blower

I found the cyclical nature of the way Piglia’s The Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime was told to be particularly interesting. It makes you question the intention of the narrative. Could Piglia be writing about his own experience? Or, is he simply trying to embody a fictional character, while provoking a sense of realism to the purpose of the narrative? The self-reference to the beginning line “fat, broad, melancholy, the nile green polyester suit floating on his body…” gave me chills when I first read it. It forces reflection on why. I think it draws more attention to the societal issue of censorship many Latin countries have dealt with throughout time. Out of fear for one’s personal security, they cannot overtly criticize the government or any governmental bodies. This theme seems so prevalent in Spanish fiction literature that it makes you wonder, how much of it is actually heavily based on reality? Why is freedom of the press something that is such a privilege in the modern world?

Another interesting thing about this text’s self-reference is in respect to how it reads. Most fiction is just told to you. It’s taken for granted that this character/narrator’s inner dialogue is just available to us to consume. Rarely do we question it, until we are given an example of a narrative with purpose. It cycles and makes you re-read it. When you re-read this story already knowing the ending, you can feel how the author may have written this out in a hurry. You can feel the sense of urgency and desperation in his attempt to unveil the truth.

10/16/21

Borges’ Rules and the Tale of the Crime

In “The Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime”, the combination of Piglia’s unconventional take on crime fiction alongside the implementation of Borges’ rules allows readers to better understand the influence that the totalitarian government had on the media in late ‘70s and early ‘80s Argentina. First, though he includes seven main characters as opposed to the recommended six, they each provide a clear contribution to the plot and are distinct enough to stand out from other characters (though I found myself confusing Rinaldi and Renzi at times!). As per rule B, Piglia establishes the circumstances of the crime before introducing our protagonist⁠, who then goes on to confront the state-imposed limits on the press at the time. There is no typical reveal in the conclusion, since the victim and the murderer are introduced even before we meet Renzi, who fills the role of the detective, and the focus of the story is not on apprehending the true murderer but rather on the percepticide Renzi experiences. In this way we can see Piglia following Borges’ rule C by having the police play the villain, which is much more thematically fitting. The subsequent two rules⁠—prioritizing plot advancement over character development and minimizing death⁠—are also applied. Because the focus is on the interaction between journalists and the state, who tries to suppress the truth when it isn’t in their favour; instead of being on the investigation of the murder itself, our attention is drawn towards the Argentine government censorship and repression. Though it doesn’t focus specifically on how the murder happened or the intentions behind it, the story is still very plot-driven, managing to lay out a complex plot in just five pages without relying too heavily on any sort of gore. Finally, the resolution is complex and unique while remaining consistent and plausible within the story. Altogether, the incorporation of Borges’ rules in this unorthodox story provides us with better insight into Argentine society in that era.

10/13/21

Who deserves to be heard?

The treatment of women in the story is something that jumped out at me, with Larry’s death being treated as something that was bound to happen at some point due to her profession and how poorly almost all the characters treat Anahi. They are both seen as lesser and the story shows it plainly when Anahi is forced to kiss the feet of Almada for 100 pesos. With this act we can see how this character treats both women and those he sees as lesser than him, in this case Anahi is both.She is also immediately dismissed by the police and the other journalist as not even a madwoman, just an idiot denying her any agency in her speech.She is dismissed due to her circumstances and her gender, as is Larry. We do not know anything about Larry even though the story is centred on her death, a common occurrence when women are murdered. The story is focused on her death and does not need to mention anything to do with her life, we do not even know her last name. She is not treated as a victim but as someone who deserved her fate and the time and resources that would be spent on her case would go to better use somewhere else, to someone more “worthy” of their case being solved.