“Empire news” and the Charlottian insanity: a close up to the new historicism and its ontological thought.

Abstract

Arisen since 1979, the new historical novel expands the narrative and thematic diversity. “Empire News” by Fernando del Paso challenges conventions by using history as a mean to re-edify the past. Charlotte is the vivid image of open insanity, subverting the traditional historical narrative and exploring human complexity. The novel uses metafictional resources to question historical accuracy and demystify the idealized picture of historical characters. Charlotte’s insanity, just like the novel’s narrative, seeks to rise above historical reality and reflect on human condition using parody and intertextuality to reinterpret history from different points of view, challenging the established limits and offering a wider view of true history. The text also examines the transgressing nature of the new historical novel that defies the established hegemony on historical comprehension and memory, introducing an ontological reflection that would be censored by the traditional cannon.