Carnival in Norman Wilwayco's two novels and selected short stories

Abstract

This study analyzes Norman Wilwayco’s two novels and selected short stories using Mikhail Mikhailovich Bakhtin’s theory on Carnival and its applications on literature and popular culture. As a two time Don Carlos Palanca Awardee, Norman Wilwayco’s works present a new kind of writing style that manifest current conditions of his society which demands literary analysis and criticism. The researcher focused on three main elements of Carnival, mainly: Reversal of Hierarchies, Billingsgate Language, and the Grotesque Body and show how these are applied in his works. The researcher looked into and discovered how the author used these elements to create a carnivalized world which depicts and uplifts Philippine popular culture in his works.