Tensions and reformulations around hardboiled’s masculinities in Últimos días de la víctima, by José Pablo Feinmann

Abstract

Últimos días de la víctima is a novel written by José Pablo Feinmann in 1979. Canonically, the novel has been read by critics through a political view (Gandolfo, 1986; Lafforgue y Rivera, 1997; Calabrese, 2000; Jacovski, 2011). In this work, we intend to add another perspective to that reading, thinking of the relationships of hierarchy and masculinity among the characters. At the same time, we will problematize the construction of masculinity in the character of Mendizábal, because it is constantly strained not only by the obsessive relationship between Mendizábal and Külpe, but also by the gaze of his rival, Peña.