Literary Criticism (LITT 501) October 13, 2018

Magbag, Abygail
Deautomatizing Perception:
Defamiliarization and Carnivalization in Nick Joaquin's
May Day Eve

INTRODUCTION

The Russian formalists began by refining but ultimately rejecting the work of a nineteenth-
century philologist who might be a prototype New Critic. The concept of defamiliarization is central
to the formalist project, but the term can be used in different ways at different levels of approach
to the literary object. At the most basic level of discourse, the formalists analyzed sentences taken
from literary texts to see how they estranged reality as a purely aesthetic end. But at the higher
level where discourse becomes social, the formalists saw texts' representations of reality as a
technique for defamiliarizing the social ideas of the dominant culture, and thus for challenging our
automatic acceptance of these ideas. They would say, for example, that an apparently naive and
incoherent narrative voice (like that of Gogol's The Nose) functions so as to expose the cruelty and
hypocrisy of the social ideas of the time. (Ritcher, 2017)

SUMMARY

In the late 1840’s, when it was already May Eve they said that the dancing should stop at 10
o’clock in the evening. Until the celebration was over, the guests started to decamp but the girls just
went to their bedroom while the boys just continued what they are doing and finished their drink.

Then there was this woman named Anastasia, who used to tell stories about witches and that made
all the girls afraid. Anastasia instructed Agueda how to do the ritual involving the mirror. As
Agueda knew what she will do, she went to the mirror in their sala and said “Mirror, Mirror, show
to me him whose woman I will be.” Unfortunately, she saw a devil. And it was a guy named Don
Badoy, he was in loved with Agueda.

Recently, it was their marriage; until they had a daughter. Agueda told the story to her daughter
and she warned her to never admire herself in the mirror or else she will see something frightening.
After that, Agueda started comparing the devil to Don Badoy then her stories continued.

Don Badoy, has his grandson named Voltaire. Don Badoy caught his grandson doing the ritual in
the mirror. He also started telling his stories about him doing the ritual and said that he saw a witch.
Likely, he also warned this grandson to never do that again because he might see a witch. His stories
continued as he compared the witch to Agueda.

ANALYSIS

“May Day Eve” is a short story written by a Filipino National Artist Nick Joaquin. After World War
II, it became one of Joaquin’s signature stories that was considered as one of the classics in Philippine
literature in English. There are various tenets of Russian formalism that can be used in understanding
and appreciating the story. One of which is Defamiliarization Technique also known as the artistic
Literary Criticism (LITT 501) October 13, 2018
Magbag, Abygail
technique of presenting to audiences’ common things in an unfamiliar or strange way in order to
enhance perception of the familiar.

The following are the list of objects where we can apply defamiliarization in the text:
1. The mirror – usually the mirror denotes a reflection of beauty physically but in the text it is used
to denote the façade that served as the physical manifestation of the illusory love between Agueda
and Badoy.
2. “Martyr” – the old Anastasia was alluded to by one of the girls as St. Anastasia, the virgin and
martyr to which she responded that she is not a virgin, but seven times a martyr because of them,
probably indicating the hardship and troubles she has to endure for them.
3. “Candle” and “Darkness” – rather than just a wax containing a wick that may be burned as to
give light, the candles here us used to mean enlightenment; because of the candle, Agueda was
able to see the future on the mirror inside the darkened sala. While darkness here is something
more than just the absence of light but the absence of understanding between the characters,
especially during their understanding.
4. “Devil” – this word has been associated with evil or oppose with the holiness being taught the
Catholic churches during the time of the Spaniards. The Devil has been characterized as the entity
that brings hindrance and challenges to the faith of the believers. However, the story has mentioned
the word Devil several times despite the image it has from the church’s teaching. In addition, it is
used by Agueda to describe her husband, Don Badoy, after their marriage.
5. White gown – rather than just an ordinary dress worn in bed by women, May Day Eve implies
that the white gown symbolizes the purity and chastity of Agueda before meeting Badoy.
6. Incantation – this has been associated with sorcery and witch-craft wherein it is used to make a
grudge towards people or results to negative outcomes. From the story, the incantation is not only
a verbal charm spoken to make magic happen but is used as a hopeful prayer for a good and
faithful spouse.
7. Salt – when Augeda refused to dance with Badoy, a heated conversation ensued. Definitely,
Agueda is not referring to the condiment when she argued with Badoy but probably the fancy and
selective preference of highly-educated and well-off women to their future husband.
8. “Witch” – in lieu of a woman that is credited with usually malignant supernatural powers, the
witch here is Badoy’s perception of Agueda after they tied the knot. As they say in the Philippines,
you will only know whom you truly married once you live in the same roof.

Some other defamiliarization in the story is its style. Nick Joaquin's style of writing is also
defamiliarizing us from the conventions of prose writing (short stories). If we have noticed the story
merely begins with an ending. It does not follow a logical sequence. If we are to consider their
marriage as a central theme, perhaps, we could say that we only have an exposition, a falling
action, and a resolution. If it is Voltaire that we are to focus are our eyes at, then we could say that
the plot has developed structurally and naturally. Nick Joaquin's writing style is Faulknerian
because you get to see these events from different perspectives. Focusing on the events of the story,
readers never had the chance of seeing how these two ended in marriage. Could it have been a
fixed marriage? The marriage they've had did not show the kind of joviality and happiness that
other writers include in the story, where even if they end hating each other they still love each other
at some point. In this story, we did not see that on Dona Agueda's part, however, as admitted by
the Don he loved the woman.
Literary Criticism (LITT 501) October 13, 2018
Magbag, Abygail

Aside from defamiliarization, carnivalization is another tenet that we can apply is literary piece,
May Day Eve. Carnivalization is the term used by Mikhail Bakhtin to describe the shaping effect on
literary genres. The idea of carnivalism is the discourse of structuralism. Carnivalism is the opposite
of everything deemed "normal". Bahktin describes it as: "...the true feast of time, the feasts of
becoming, change and renewal." Carnival originated from the Feasts of the Church. The feasts were
a serious, formal occasion in which strict patterns were closely followed. Emphasis was placed on
social standing. It was considered a "consecration of inequality." However, during Carnival,
everyone was considered equal. The festivities of Carnival were very popular, everything was
turned upside down (the smart become stupid, rich become poor, etc.; fantasy and reality become
one). "The jolly relativity of all things is proclaimed."

Carnivalism is evident throughout literature, but it is very noticeable during the Renaissance. The
Socratic dialogue is an example of the earliest carnivalized literary forms. Two of the most familiar
forms of carnivalism are Alisoun; the Wife of Bath from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and
Falstaff, from Shakespeare's Henry IV. Alisoun, asserts her own overbearing assessment of the roles
of women in society and relationships. The Wife has often been written off as a shrew-like bombast
simply sprouting her dissatisfaction. She is the opposite of what women were expected to be in her
time. She seems to take pride in being so contradictory to societal ideals. Falstaff, like the Wife;
enjoys being the center of attention and shocking people with his outlandish proclamations. He is a
con man, coward, and thief.

Applying the concept of carnivalization in the story, May Day Eve, the concept of love and marriage
for was carnivalized by the ritual. Marriage should be well thought off and rationalized was
presented otherwise and through the ritual. In addition, the attitude of Agueda is carnivalized in a
way that she feel ill with her husband whereas during that time, wives are expected to submit to
their husband as a sign of being a good wife. The description of Don Badoy as the devil is
carnivalized as normally wives would refer to the husbands with endearment. Menippean satire is
also evident as the descriptions of Badoy seem to attack European elites.

The concepts applied in Joaquin’s May Day Eve can help the readers understand the text in different
lenses. It is a way to have a closer look on the relation of each words to end up in an idea lying
under it. Defamiliarization helps the readers understand the significant items used in a story in their
own perspective of symbolism while carnivalization give hints of realization in context of the text.

Bibliography:

Bakhtin M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination. Austin : University of Texas

Fitzgerald, W. (1999). Celebrating May Day. Retrieved from

https://www.schooloftheseasons.com/mayday.html

George, A. (2017). May Day Myth and Ritual: The Virgin Mary as the May Queen. Retrieved
from https://mythologymatters.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/may-day-myth-and-ritual-the-
virgin-mary-as-the-may-queen/
Literary Criticism (LITT 501) October 13, 2018
Magbag, Abygail

Oamil, E., Montealegre, M., & Mendiola, V. (2014). THE DOSTOEVSKY IN JOAQUIN’S SELECTED
FICTION: TOWARDS DEVELOPING A FILIPINO MODEL OF COMPARATIVE STUDY IN LITERATURE.
The Normal Lights Journal On Teacher Education, 8(2). Retrieved from
http://po.pnuresearchportal.org/ejournal/index.php/normallights/article/view/18

Ramson, M. (2000). The Effect of Carnivalism on Literature and Society.

https://freepapers.net/essays/carnivalism-and-its-effect-on-literature

Richter, D. (2007). The Critical Tradition (Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends)., USA:
Bedford/St. Martin’s