Prompt. Read Mariano Azuela, The Underdogs (Los de abajo, 1915), the classic novelistic account of the Revolution and a short study of peasants and intellectuals caught up in the whirlwind of villismo. Note that Azuela himself, a doctor from upland Jalisco, became involved in the revolutionary struggle, first in support of Madero (1910-1913), and then as a surgeon in the villista army fighting Huerta (1913-1914). The Underdogs is a biting and satirical memoir of this later period, written in a stark, realist prose mode. Please write a critical commentary (2 pp. double-spaced) in which you answer the following question: how effectively in your view does Azuela capture the animating spirit of villismo as a popular revolutionary movement?
Guidance: This is more an exercise in historical empathy than the previous one, in which you are being asked to mine the text as a source and look for first hand, albeit fictionalized evidence, concerning the true character of villismo. What motivated its followers? What were its guiding principles? What of its social composition? How clear was its vision for revolutionizing Mexico? Was villismo revolutionary in the sense of projecting a major social transformation, or was it just a riotous and bandit-ridden orgy? You are not being asked to carry out a literary deconstruction of the piece, or to comment on it as an aesthetic artifact. Instead the aim is for you to consider how credibly The Underdogscaptures the psychology, ideology, and the revolutionary practice of Pancho Villas revolution. The ultimate point is for you to engage with a celebrated first-hand account, either by disagreeing or agreeing with its accuracy and premises, and to use it to further your own sense of the meaning of villismo. Reading the KATZ ESSAY in BRADING is a good idea as it will nuance your perspective of Azuela’s testimony.
General guidance. This is a concise essay so your argument needs to be focused. Look only for evidence that can be used to ground historical argument. Do not waste the word budget in extended quotations. Refer to the text and any other cited material in footnotes.
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