The coat of arms that is currently depicted on the Spanish flag may feature a lion as a heraldic animal, but during the past centuries of Iberian cultural history the taurine brute, especially the so-called Toro de Osborne (Brandes 780-781), has become the country’s unofficial, more popular and widely known trademark symbol (ibid.).
This development is, of course, rooted in the nation’s continuous passion for the bullfight and along with the flamenco dance the custom performance of tauromachy remains a pillar of patriotic identity for many Spaniards. It comes as no surprise, then, that the corrida features heavily in a wide selection of publications of virtually all literary genres.
Among the more recent works in this field, Alison Louise Kennedy’s On Bullfighting provides an introduction to the past and present of the tauromachy tradition and combines it with the Scottish novelist’s perspective on the act of literary composition as a non-fictional version of Kennedy narrates her progress in researching and writing about the corrida to the reader. The following pages explore how she establishes parallels between the routines, passions, and beliefs of the literary artist and the matador, respectively, and then uses them to underline how both are devoted to exerting and expanding a level of control in their approaches to life and work. For the writer, this is particularly relevant with regards to his or her handling of inspiration and its implementation in the written word and the paper therefore closes with remarks on whether or not On Bullfighting’s A. L. Kennedy succeeds in regaining her authoritative power over both aspects of her profession as she struggles through depression and a severe writer’s block connected to past emotional trauma.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Parallels between writers and bullfighters
1.1 Lifestyle and social status
1.2 Vocation
1.3 Religion, spirituality and superstition
1.4 Fascination with death
2. Bullfighting and writing as acts of control
3. The corrida and comprehension
Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This work examines how A. L. Kennedy, in her non-fictional account On Bullfighting, establishes parallels between the professional lives of writers and matadors, specifically focusing on their mutual search for control, devotion to their vocation, and engagement with themes of death and spirituality as a response to personal crisis.
- Thematic analysis of the writer as a public performer versus the isolated creative artist.
- Exploration of "vocation" as a driving force in both literary production and tauromachy.
- Investigation into how religious, spiritual, and superstitious frameworks help individuals cope with existential crises.
- Critical comparison of how control is exerted in the bullring versus the controlled act of literary composition.
- Evaluation of On Bullfighting as a mirror for Kennedy's own struggles with writer's block and trauma.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1 Lifestyle and social status
One of the first and most obvious parallels between the matador and the writer, as presented in On Bullfighting, stems from A. L. Kennedy’s comparative description of their respective lifestyles and the tolls they take outside of the glamorous looking world that the public is privy to. Predictably, these incidents of being caught in the limelight, though without a doubt part of their working routine, spread only a warped common perception of the two professions. Everything a reader knows about the author of his favourite novels is usually based on what agents and publishers deem worthy of sharing, the rare occasions on which he might attend a promotional event like readings or panel discussions, and trifling or heavily edited interviews (Neagu 123) and internet statements.
The days when the successive steps of planning, researching, writing, revising and eventually submitting a manuscript to their publishing company comprised the tasks of those intending to live off their writing are long over. As part of a multimedia-based society and with the increased competitiveness and commercialization of the book market left to consider, novelists cannot expect to simply let their words speak for themselves. Entire marketing departments focus on devising elaborate strategies to boost a publication’s sales figures and many of them include the participation of the literary figure responsible for its existence. (Neagu 121)
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the significance of the bullfight in Spanish culture and introduces Alison Louise Kennedy's non-fictional work as a parallel study between the writer’s craft and the matador’s performance.
1. Parallels between writers and bullfighters: Compares the professional and personal lives of writers and bullfighters, emphasizing shared struggles with public perception, dedication to their work, and exposure to danger.
1.1 Lifestyle and social status: Analyzes how both professions are often perceived through a glamorous lens, despite the grueling routines and the commercial pressures of their respective industries.
1.2 Vocation: Discusses the profound devotion required for both careers, framing their work as an essential "vocation" that provides identity even amidst personal failure and suicidal ideation.
1.3 Religion, spirituality and superstition: Examines how both writers and matadors use religious frameworks, superstition, and ritualistic behavior to navigate uncertainty and find confidence.
1.4 Fascination with death: Explores the inherent connection to mortality in both the bullring and the act of writing, focusing on how confronting death can function as a search for meaning.
2. Bullfighting and writing as acts of control: Argues that the bullfight serves as a metaphor for the writer's need to exert control over creative chaos and their own psychological struggles.
3. The corrida and comprehension: Evaluates Kennedy’s personal experience attending a live bullfight, noting the disillusionment she feels and how this experience marks a turning point in her understanding of the tradition and herself.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, suggesting that while Kennedy remains personally conflicted, her successful analysis of the matador's role acts as a bridge for her own creative recovery.
Keywords
A. L. Kennedy, On Bullfighting, Tauromachy, Matador, Writing, Vocation, Corrida, Control, Federico García Lorca, Ernest Hemingway, Spirituality, Superstition, Death, Trauma, Literary composition.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this work primarily about?
The work provides a comparative analysis of the professional and personal lives of writers and bullfighters as depicted in A. L. Kennedy’s On Bullfighting, focusing on the shared psychological and behavioral patterns of both.
What are the central themes of the text?
The central themes include the nature of vocation, the struggle for control over one's life and work, the role of spirituality and superstition in high-stakes professions, and the confrontation with mortality.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The objective is to explore how Kennedy uses the bullfight as a structural and metaphorical device to mirror her own struggles with depression, writer's block, and the act of literary creation.
Which scientific or analytical methods are utilized?
The text employs a comparative literary analysis, utilizing a "compare and contrast" methodology to bridge the gap between historical/cultural facts about tauromachy and the autobiographical narrative of the author.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the lifestyle of public figures, the concept of a calling or "vocation," the integration of religious and superstitious practices to manage anxiety, and the existential fascination with death shared by creators and performers.
Which keywords best characterize this publication?
Keywords include A. L. Kennedy, On Bullfighting, Vocation, Tauromachy, Corrida, Control, Writer's block, and existentialism.
How does the author relate the bullfighter's risk to the writer's struggle?
Kennedy suggests that both are "playing with death" in their own ways; the matador faces physical mortality, while the writer faces the "extinction" of their creative voice, requiring similar levels of dedication and control.
Why is "vocation" considered a central point of the argument?
Vocation is depicted as the driving force that sustains individuals through personal hardship and professional pressure, acting as a source of identity that they feel compelled to pursue despite potential negative outcomes.
What role does Federico García Lorca play in the analysis?
Lorca serves as a "patron saint of conflicted artists" for Kennedy; his life, work, and embrace of "duende" provide a mirror for her own professional and personal dilemmas.
How does the "window-sill interlude" function in the narrative?
It acts as the initial catalyst and turning point in the book, representing Kennedy's crisis and her attempt to find aesthetic meaning in her own potential death before she begins her search for answers in Spain.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2015, Writing and Tauromachy in A. L. Kennedy’s "On Bullfighting", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/295039
