This week’s reading, Captain Pantoja and the Special Service by Mario Vargas Llosa was interesting but pretty confusing. I found the style of writing to be interesting and pretty easy to follow along with compared to other readings this term. The authors use of multiple narrators to tell the story from different perspectives through personal letters, memos, radio broadcasts, news reports and accounts written by various characters provided a more complex and complete understanding of the story. I think the shifting of perspectives, made the story more personal and exciting than it would have had it been written from the point of view of a single narrator reciting the chronological events of this army operation.
Pantoja’s growth into his position in the army and as the leader of the special service taking his life over was the overarching narrative that stood out to me as most events connected back to his story. Although originally apprehensive against the idea of it, he signs on to lead the special service for the benefits it will provide his family. Overtime, he grows more entrenched in his work, his morality skews, his wife finds out about his affair with one of the prostitutes working under his command who later dies and the operation ends.
I watched the lecture prior to reading the book and the mention of dark themes like the death of Pantoja’s mistress had me wondering how the novel would unfold to be a comedy as mentioned. After completing the reading and watching the film I’m not sure I share the same definition of comedy or let alone know how to define this style of comedy. Sure, there were comical elements like the girl named knockers, referring to project as the “special service” and various other innuendos but the main themes of the story were more tragic than funny. Maybe there’s some comedy in the ridiculousness of solving the problem of rape in the town with an army sanctioned brothel but even then, the dark implications that come with it like violence and death make it hard to laugh at. I feel like I might be missing something when it comes to the humor in Mario Vargas’ writing but it was surly entertaining and hard to put down.
My question for discussion: What did you believe would make this novel a comedy? Is there anything you found particularly funny throughout your reading?