Legal discourse in fiction

A qualitative-hermeneutical analysis of Venezuelan narrative

Abstract

This article analyzes the representation of justice and law in contemporary Venezuelan literature. Through a qualitative-hermeneutic analysis of key works from recent literature, it argues that Venezuelan authors use their fiction as a symbolic tribunal to process and critique the collapse of the legal system and the institutional crisis. The literary universe that emerges reflects BANI environments, characterized by the fragility of their structures, the constant anxiety of their characters, and the incomprehensible nature of events. The study employed an intentional sampling of three novels representative of the crisis: La enfermedad by Alberto Barrera Tyszka, The Night by Rodrigo Blanco Calderón, and La hija de la española by Karina Sainz Borgo. The analysis technique was thematic coding, with three phases (open, axial, and selective), which allowed for the distillation of a central argument: in the absence of an effective rule of law, literature not only reflects reality but also builds a space for denunciation and memory. The study concludes that the literary narrative articulates a moral and poetic justice that supplements the absence of formal justice, making it a vital tool for resisting oblivion.