The imaginary of violence: between fear and fascination. Considerations around Perra brava by Orfa Alarcón

Abstract

Orfa Alarcón's novel Perrabrava (2010) is usually classified as a narconovela, but it definitely does not represent a paradigmatic example of this particular literary gender. Thanks to its form it rather resembles psychological novels. The life of the main female character called Fernanda is marked by fear and violence that forms an indivisible part of her reality. Nevertheless, this time the world of the drug dealers is not situated in the epicentre of the attention. One of the narrative lines focuses on the heroine’s life story following her evolution in a similar way as it is common in novels representing the gender of Bildungsroman. The story, narrated by Fernanda herself, unfolds the gradual metamorphosis of the heroine, who from a helpless victim becomes a merciless aggressor. The article analyses the narrative recourses used to depict the complex
transformation of the character. Special attention is paid to the heroine’s reactions in key situations when she is confronted with different manifestations of violence. The initial fear falls back, as the character’s admiration and fascination by violence gradually gains more space.