Imperial Anecdotes
About This Novel
The novel narrates the history of the Second Mexican Empire and the tragic fate of its emperor. In 1861, President Benito Juarez ordered a cessation of repayments of Mexico's foreign debt. This decision provided the excuse for the then French Emperor Napoleon III to send occupying troops to Mexico in the hope of establishing an empire there headed by members of the European Catholic royal family. Archduke Fernando Maximiliano of Habsburg Austria was chosen for this mission. The Archduke arrived in Mexico in 1864 with his wife, Princess Carlotta of Belgium. In 1867 the empire fell and the archduke was shot. The novel has a total of twenty-three chapters, and the odd twelve chapters are the raving stream of consciousness of the mad Queen Carlotta, which took place in the last year of her life. The even-numbered eleven chapters are in chronological order, with each chapter having three sections. They use different techniques to show different aspects of history from different perspectives (from political figures who influenced the historical process to street vendors). All in all, this book is a synthesis of all literary expression techniques and forms so far, so it can be said to be a panoramic novel focusing on the style of a specific historical period.
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