天涯海角APP

天涯海角APP University Assistant Professor of Spanish Dr. Beth Butler presented a lecture at a conference held recently in Salamanca, Spain, and her insights were featured in the Spanish newspaper Todo Castilla y Leon.

The Conference on Detective Novel and Film, was themed 鈥淐rime without Borders.  Borders of Crime.鈥�  Dr. Butler learned of the conference during a previous trip to Spain, and submitted an abstract to present her research there. 

Dr. Butler鈥檚 lecture focused on the work of Spanish author Jordi Sierra i Fabra and his novel, Las Chicas de Alambre (Wire Thin Girls), which is an adolescent novel of the 鈥渘ovela negra鈥� genre.  The book critically examines the fashion industry and its negative influence on young, female models by investigating the disappearance of a fictional Spanish model who is anorexic.  The term 鈥渘ovela negra鈥� refers broadly to what Americans would call a detective novel. 

Following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the detective novel became a popular vehicle for examining the social issues of the dictatorship and that culture鈥檚 transition from that dictatorship.  Dr. Butler maintains that one of those issues is anorexia, which became a significant health concern and literary theme in Spain in the 1990s.

In her presentation, titled 鈥淚nvestigating anorexia in Las Chicas de Alambre: the use of detective fiction for social criticism,鈥� Dr. Butler offered her analysis that the novel is another way of investigating and criticizing a world which promotes anorexia.

Dr. Butler joined the 天涯海角APP University faculty in 2009.  She earned her doctoral degree from Florida State University.