Intertextuality and Narrative Structure in The Back Room

Intertextuality in The Back Room

The volume contains numerous textual references from various sources. The narration is well-interwoven from the beginning, with a structure and connections designed to provide a natural feel and simulate the disorder of memory. It achieves an effect of stacking chaos within the protagonist's life.

Literary Allusions

The work features fragments from various authors and popular literature, including:

• Cervantes
• Todorov
• Kafka
• Romance novels and popular songs

The narrative reflects on the literary endeavor itself, creating a text within a text.

Structural Analysis

The book is divided into 7 chapters, each featuring a change of space or place. It functions as a macrostructure with overlapping stories and fragments. The book is open and circular.

The Man in Black

The man in black acts as the catalyst for the story. Through his questions, the narrator rebuilds memories and reconstructs the past.

Genre and Classification

The novel is difficult to classify. It meets the conditions of a fantasy novel by maintaining ambiguity and uncertainty until the end; it remains unclear whether the events were a dream or reality.

Metafictional Elements

• The man in black introduces mystery.
• It is a meta-novel (a novel about writing a novel).
• The narrative serves as a search for identity through conversation.
• It references the author's previous works, such as Between Curtains and String.

Influences and Themes

The work blends mystery, fantasy, sentimental soap opera, film, and oral storytelling traditions. Some critics view it as a mixture of fantasy and sentimental fiction.

The Relationship Between Reality and Fantasy

There is an intimate relationship between real and fantastic elements. The author uses fantasy to escape the reality of life—specifically the political, social, and cultural constraints of the Franco era. Childhood memories are channeled through fantastic elements that shape the novel, such as growing folios, a gold box, and the finished book.

Key Fantastic Elements

• The Cockroach: Produces fear, anguish, and anxiety.
• The Man in Black: Serves as a diabolical reference.
• The Mirror: A tool used to retrieve memories.
• Cúnigan: Described as a unique place of escape.
• The Island: Created in the imagination of Carmen to take refuge from reality.
• Conversation with Carola: Blurs the line between reality, dreams, and nightmares.

This mixture of fantasy, reality, and dream states creates the perfect environment for the narration.