Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, ... more Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, foundations--what was it like in the beginning? In Latin America, historical and literary creation stories have a consistently oedipal flavor. They are tales of fathers and sons. Whether treating the discovery and conquest of the New World, the creation of the republics following Independence, or the attempt to mold new societies through revolution, the pattern is persistent. During the conquest of Mexico, Cortes, in his first Carta de relacion to Charles V, makes his case for usurping control of the expeditionary force from Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba. The establishment of the first cabildo in the New World was marked by an oedipal struggle. In the Southern Cone following Independence, Sarmiento's description of Rosas's takeover from Facundo and his vision of a new leader, perhaps himself, unseating Rosas, is cast in peculiarly oedipal terms. "Un dia vendra, al fin, que lo resuelvan," he says, "y el Esfinge Argentino, mitad mujer pot lo cobarde, mitad tigre por lo sanguinario, morira a sus plantas, dando a la Tebas del Plata el tango elevado que le toca entre la naciones del Nuevo Mundo" (Facundo 14).(1) And the series of leaders toppling one another during the bloodiest years of the Mexican Revolution--Madero, Huerta, Villa, Carranza, Obregon--has a typically oedipal ring. The same holds true for literary texts of these times. Of course, Cortes's Cartas de relacion and Sarimiento's Facundo are considered literary as well as historical texts. In Latin America, the dividing line between history and fiction is often blurred. But the same oedipal tensions can be seen in purely literary texts, such as Lazarillo de Tormes and even Don Quijote de la Mancha. In Lazarillo, we see the young picaro struggling against a series of cruel masters, killing them off metaphorically, one by one.(2) The entire tale, of course, is a defense to Vuestra Merced in the case that has caused a local scandal--the menage a trois involving Lazaro, the Archpriest and his maid. Lazaro, in relating the facts of the case, points an accusatory finger at the archpriest, just as Cortes, in telling his tale, points an accusatory finger at Diego Velazquez. Cervantes's masterpiece, too, having been read in so many fruitful ways generation after generation, has a distinctly oedipal undertone. The aging hidalgo represents not only the waning of the chivalric ideal, but also the decline of Spain's golden age of imperialism. Cervantes, who in his youth had been a staunch supporter and defender of that imperial ideology, in his later years, in his oedipal literary avatar, was critical of it.(3) Hispanic civilization and culture, in the Old World and the New, is cast and recast in medieval, hierarchical, patriarchal, authoritarian terms, displaying the seeds of conflict between generations. These oedipal tensions, it appears, are a natural part of its creation tales. This is no less true for modern Latin American literature. One has only to look at perhaps the most celebrated work of twentieth century Latin American fiction, Cien anos de soledad. The creation of Macondo is based on the ability to keep the town free of the effects of incest, the tail of the pig. In a sublimely subversive and oedipal gesture, Garcia Marquez has the last Aureliano consummate his love affair with his aunt, as Macondo is destroyed by an apocalyptic whirlwind. The oedipal pattern I am tracing; relates not only to literary creation tales but also to the literary origins of particular writers and particular works. One of the most interesting examples is that of Pablo Neruda. In his literary autobiography, Confieso que he vivido, he tells the story of how he wrote his first poem: Muchas veces me han preguntado cuando escribi mi primer poema, cuando nacio en mi la poesia. Tratare de recordarlo. Muy atras en mi infancia y habiendo apenas aprendido a escribir, senti una vez una intensa emocion y trace unas cuantas palabras semirrimadas, pero extranas a mi, diferentes del lenguaje diario. …
In "The Mystery to a Solution", John Irwin examines the deeper significance of the genr... more In "The Mystery to a Solution", John Irwin examines the deeper significance of the genre Poe created and the meaning of Borges's efforts to "double" its origin. Drawing on history, literary history, and practical and speculative criticism, Irwin pursues issues underlying the detective genre into areas as various as the history of mathematics, classical mythology, the double-mirror structure of self consciousness, the anthropology of Evans and Frazer, the structure of chess, automata, the mind-body problem, the etymology of labyrinth, and scores of other topics. Throughout his inquiry, Irwin honours the aesthetic impact on the genre he discusses by relying on the dynamics of the detective story - the uncovering of mysteries, the accumulation of evidence, the tracing of clues, and the final solution that ties it all together. Irwin's other books include "Doubling and Incest/Repetition and Revenge", "American Hieroglyphics" and "The Heisenberg Variations".
Review: Literature And Arts Of The Americas, Jan 2, 2020
What follows is an attempt to shed some light on the question of the literature of exile and the ... more What follows is an attempt to shed some light on the question of the literature of exile and the special problems exile poses for literature. I have no talent for analysis; I limit myself here to a very personal vision. I will not attempt to generalize but merely offer a modest contribution to a multifaceted problem. As both a fact of life and a literary theme, exile dominates Latin American literature today. As a fact of life, we know only too well the number of writers who have had to leave their countries. As a literary theme, exile obviously shows up in many of the poems, short stories, and novels by these writers. A universal theme, at least since the laments of an Ovid or a Dante, exile is a constant in the present day reality and literature of Latin America, from the countries of the so-called Southern Cone all the way to a good many of the nations of Central America. This anomalous condition of the writer encompasses Argentines, Chileans, Uruguayans, Paraguayans, Bolivians, Brazilians, Salvadorans, Haitians, Dominicans, and the list goes on. By “writer” I mean above all the novelist and short story writer, that is to say, writers of creative prose fiction. Alongside them I include the poet, whom no one has been able to define with precision, but who stands beside the story writer and novelist to the degree that all play their game in a territory dominated by analogy, freeReview: Literature and Arts of the Americas, Issue 100, Vol. 53, No. 1, 2020, 95–101
Chasqui-revista De Literatura Latinoamericana, 1991
Bom in Argentina in 1942, Ariel Dorfman moved to New York with his family in 1944 after his fathe... more Bom in Argentina in 1942, Ariel Dorfman moved to New York with his family in 1944 after his father lost his university position because of his political opposition to the military government which preceded Juan Per?n's presidency. His family moved to Chile when he was twelve and he remained there until 1973 when he was forced into exile by the coup of General Augusto Pinochet which ousted Salvador Allende. In his writing Dorfman has attempted to come to grips with the causes and effects of those traumatic events. Protesting the abuses of authoritarian governments in the Southern Cone and elsewhere, his work is a passionate plea for human rights not only in Latin America but around the world. Widows, a novel, deals with the problem of the missing. The Last Song of Manuel Sendero, perhaps his most ambitious novel to date, treats the problems and effects of exile. The latest novel, Mascara, is a general treatment of the themes of power and evil. The poems of The Last Waltz in Santiago are a moving personal testament to the events which took place in Chile under the Pinochet regime. Dorfman has also written a series of essays, collected in The Empire's Old Clothes and How to Read Donald Duck, in which he investigates the underlying ideological and political ideas of such "innocent" heroes as Babar, Donald Duck, and the Lone Ranger. Since 1985 he has taught at Duke University. With democratic reforms taking place in Chile, Dorfman plans to return there permanently in the 95
Notas: Anotación manuscrita de Cortázar en la primera página: "Como tantas veces, una pura f... more Notas: Anotación manuscrita de Cortázar en la primera página: "Como tantas veces, una pura ficción sobre otra ficción. Pero lo bello, siempre, es ver cómo todo encaja en el mosaico, hasta el restaurante Polidor, cuyo nombre no me he inventado no mucho menos."
Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, ... more Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, foundations--what was it like in the beginning? In Latin America, historical and literary creation stories have a consistently oedipal flavor. They are tales of fathers and sons. Whether treating the discovery and conquest of the New World, the creation of the republics following Independence, or the attempt to mold new societies through revolution, the pattern is persistent. During the conquest of Mexico, Cortes, in his first Carta de relacion to Charles V, makes his case for usurping control of the expeditionary force from Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba. The establishment of the first cabildo in the New World was marked by an oedipal struggle. In the Southern Cone following Independence, Sarmiento's description of Rosas's takeover from Facundo and his vision of a new leader, perhaps himself, unseating Rosas, is cast in peculiarly oedipal terms. "Un dia vendra, al fin, que lo resuelvan," he says, "y el Esfinge Argentino, mitad mujer pot lo cobarde, mitad tigre por lo sanguinario, morira a sus plantas, dando a la Tebas del Plata el tango elevado que le toca entre la naciones del Nuevo Mundo" (Facundo 14).(1) And the series of leaders toppling one another during the bloodiest years of the Mexican Revolution--Madero, Huerta, Villa, Carranza, Obregon--has a typically oedipal ring. The same holds true for literary texts of these times. Of course, Cortes's Cartas de relacion and Sarimiento's Facundo are considered literary as well as historical texts. In Latin America, the dividing line between history and fiction is often blurred. But the same oedipal tensions can be seen in purely literary texts, such as Lazarillo de Tormes and even Don Quijote de la Mancha. In Lazarillo, we see the young picaro struggling against a series of cruel masters, killing them off metaphorically, one by one.(2) The entire tale, of course, is a defense to Vuestra Merced in the case that has caused a local scandal--the menage a trois involving Lazaro, the Archpriest and his maid. Lazaro, in relating the facts of the case, points an accusatory finger at the archpriest, just as Cortes, in telling his tale, points an accusatory finger at Diego Velazquez. Cervantes's masterpiece, too, having been read in so many fruitful ways generation after generation, has a distinctly oedipal undertone. The aging hidalgo represents not only the waning of the chivalric ideal, but also the decline of Spain's golden age of imperialism. Cervantes, who in his youth had been a staunch supporter and defender of that imperial ideology, in his later years, in his oedipal literary avatar, was critical of it.(3) Hispanic civilization and culture, in the Old World and the New, is cast and recast in medieval, hierarchical, patriarchal, authoritarian terms, displaying the seeds of conflict between generations. These oedipal tensions, it appears, are a natural part of its creation tales. This is no less true for modern Latin American literature. One has only to look at perhaps the most celebrated work of twentieth century Latin American fiction, Cien anos de soledad. The creation of Macondo is based on the ability to keep the town free of the effects of incest, the tail of the pig. In a sublimely subversive and oedipal gesture, Garcia Marquez has the last Aureliano consummate his love affair with his aunt, as Macondo is destroyed by an apocalyptic whirlwind. The oedipal pattern I am tracing; relates not only to literary creation tales but also to the literary origins of particular writers and particular works. One of the most interesting examples is that of Pablo Neruda. In his literary autobiography, Confieso que he vivido, he tells the story of how he wrote his first poem: Muchas veces me han preguntado cuando escribi mi primer poema, cuando nacio en mi la poesia. Tratare de recordarlo. Muy atras en mi infancia y habiendo apenas aprendido a escribir, senti una vez una intensa emocion y trace unas cuantas palabras semirrimadas, pero extranas a mi, diferentes del lenguaje diario. …
Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, ... more Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, foundations--what was it like in the beginning? In Latin America, historical and literary creation stories have a consistently oedipal flavor. They are tales of fathers and sons. Whether treating the discovery and conquest of the New World, the creation of the republics following Independence, or the attempt to mold new societies through revolution, the pattern is persistent. During the conquest of Mexico, Cortes, in his first Carta de relacion to Charles V, makes his case for usurping control of the expeditionary force from Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba. The establishment of the first cabildo in the New World was marked by an oedipal struggle. In the Southern Cone following Independence, Sarmiento's description of Rosas's takeover from Facundo and his vision of a new leader, perhaps himself, unseating Rosas, is cast in peculiarly oedipal terms. "Un dia vendra, al fin, que lo resuelvan," he says, "y el Esfinge Argentino, mitad mujer pot lo cobarde, mitad tigre por lo sanguinario, morira a sus plantas, dando a la Tebas del Plata el tango elevado que le toca entre la naciones del Nuevo Mundo" (Facundo 14).(1) And the series of leaders toppling one another during the bloodiest years of the Mexican Revolution--Madero, Huerta, Villa, Carranza, Obregon--has a typically oedipal ring. The same holds true for literary texts of these times. Of course, Cortes's Cartas de relacion and Sarimiento's Facundo are considered literary as well as historical texts. In Latin America, the dividing line between history and fiction is often blurred. But the same oedipal tensions can be seen in purely literary texts, such as Lazarillo de Tormes and even Don Quijote de la Mancha. In Lazarillo, we see the young picaro struggling against a series of cruel masters, killing them off metaphorically, one by one.(2) The entire tale, of course, is a defense to Vuestra Merced in the case that has caused a local scandal--the menage a trois involving Lazaro, the Archpriest and his maid. Lazaro, in relating the facts of the case, points an accusatory finger at the archpriest, just as Cortes, in telling his tale, points an accusatory finger at Diego Velazquez. Cervantes's masterpiece, too, having been read in so many fruitful ways generation after generation, has a distinctly oedipal undertone. The aging hidalgo represents not only the waning of the chivalric ideal, but also the decline of Spain's golden age of imperialism. Cervantes, who in his youth had been a staunch supporter and defender of that imperial ideology, in his later years, in his oedipal literary avatar, was critical of it.(3) Hispanic civilization and culture, in the Old World and the New, is cast and recast in medieval, hierarchical, patriarchal, authoritarian terms, displaying the seeds of conflict between generations. These oedipal tensions, it appears, are a natural part of its creation tales. This is no less true for modern Latin American literature. One has only to look at perhaps the most celebrated work of twentieth century Latin American fiction, Cien anos de soledad. The creation of Macondo is based on the ability to keep the town free of the effects of incest, the tail of the pig. In a sublimely subversive and oedipal gesture, Garcia Marquez has the last Aureliano consummate his love affair with his aunt, as Macondo is destroyed by an apocalyptic whirlwind. The oedipal pattern I am tracing; relates not only to literary creation tales but also to the literary origins of particular writers and particular works. One of the most interesting examples is that of Pablo Neruda. In his literary autobiography, Confieso que he vivido, he tells the story of how he wrote his first poem: Muchas veces me han preguntado cuando escribi mi primer poema, cuando nacio en mi la poesia. Tratare de recordarlo. Muy atras en mi infancia y habiendo apenas aprendido a escribir, senti una vez una intensa emocion y trace unas cuantas palabras semirrimadas, pero extranas a mi, diferentes del lenguaje diario. …
In "The Mystery to a Solution", John Irwin examines the deeper significance of the genr... more In "The Mystery to a Solution", John Irwin examines the deeper significance of the genre Poe created and the meaning of Borges's efforts to "double" its origin. Drawing on history, literary history, and practical and speculative criticism, Irwin pursues issues underlying the detective genre into areas as various as the history of mathematics, classical mythology, the double-mirror structure of self consciousness, the anthropology of Evans and Frazer, the structure of chess, automata, the mind-body problem, the etymology of labyrinth, and scores of other topics. Throughout his inquiry, Irwin honours the aesthetic impact on the genre he discusses by relying on the dynamics of the detective story - the uncovering of mysteries, the accumulation of evidence, the tracing of clues, and the final solution that ties it all together. Irwin's other books include "Doubling and Incest/Repetition and Revenge", "American Hieroglyphics" and "The Heisenberg Variations".
Review: Literature And Arts Of The Americas, Jan 2, 2020
What follows is an attempt to shed some light on the question of the literature of exile and the ... more What follows is an attempt to shed some light on the question of the literature of exile and the special problems exile poses for literature. I have no talent for analysis; I limit myself here to a very personal vision. I will not attempt to generalize but merely offer a modest contribution to a multifaceted problem. As both a fact of life and a literary theme, exile dominates Latin American literature today. As a fact of life, we know only too well the number of writers who have had to leave their countries. As a literary theme, exile obviously shows up in many of the poems, short stories, and novels by these writers. A universal theme, at least since the laments of an Ovid or a Dante, exile is a constant in the present day reality and literature of Latin America, from the countries of the so-called Southern Cone all the way to a good many of the nations of Central America. This anomalous condition of the writer encompasses Argentines, Chileans, Uruguayans, Paraguayans, Bolivians, Brazilians, Salvadorans, Haitians, Dominicans, and the list goes on. By “writer” I mean above all the novelist and short story writer, that is to say, writers of creative prose fiction. Alongside them I include the poet, whom no one has been able to define with precision, but who stands beside the story writer and novelist to the degree that all play their game in a territory dominated by analogy, freeReview: Literature and Arts of the Americas, Issue 100, Vol. 53, No. 1, 2020, 95–101
Chasqui-revista De Literatura Latinoamericana, 1991
Bom in Argentina in 1942, Ariel Dorfman moved to New York with his family in 1944 after his fathe... more Bom in Argentina in 1942, Ariel Dorfman moved to New York with his family in 1944 after his father lost his university position because of his political opposition to the military government which preceded Juan Per?n's presidency. His family moved to Chile when he was twelve and he remained there until 1973 when he was forced into exile by the coup of General Augusto Pinochet which ousted Salvador Allende. In his writing Dorfman has attempted to come to grips with the causes and effects of those traumatic events. Protesting the abuses of authoritarian governments in the Southern Cone and elsewhere, his work is a passionate plea for human rights not only in Latin America but around the world. Widows, a novel, deals with the problem of the missing. The Last Song of Manuel Sendero, perhaps his most ambitious novel to date, treats the problems and effects of exile. The latest novel, Mascara, is a general treatment of the themes of power and evil. The poems of The Last Waltz in Santiago are a moving personal testament to the events which took place in Chile under the Pinochet regime. Dorfman has also written a series of essays, collected in The Empire's Old Clothes and How to Read Donald Duck, in which he investigates the underlying ideological and political ideas of such "innocent" heroes as Babar, Donald Duck, and the Lone Ranger. Since 1985 he has taught at Duke University. With democratic reforms taking place in Chile, Dorfman plans to return there permanently in the 95
Notas: Anotación manuscrita de Cortázar en la primera página: "Como tantas veces, una pura f... more Notas: Anotación manuscrita de Cortázar en la primera página: "Como tantas veces, una pura ficción sobre otra ficción. Pero lo bello, siempre, es ver cómo todo encaja en el mosaico, hasta el restaurante Polidor, cuyo nombre no me he inventado no mucho menos."
Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, ... more Creation tales, whether Biblical, mythical, or historical, hold a peculiar fascination. Origins, foundations--what was it like in the beginning? In Latin America, historical and literary creation stories have a consistently oedipal flavor. They are tales of fathers and sons. Whether treating the discovery and conquest of the New World, the creation of the republics following Independence, or the attempt to mold new societies through revolution, the pattern is persistent. During the conquest of Mexico, Cortes, in his first Carta de relacion to Charles V, makes his case for usurping control of the expeditionary force from Governor Diego Velazquez of Cuba. The establishment of the first cabildo in the New World was marked by an oedipal struggle. In the Southern Cone following Independence, Sarmiento's description of Rosas's takeover from Facundo and his vision of a new leader, perhaps himself, unseating Rosas, is cast in peculiarly oedipal terms. "Un dia vendra, al fin, que lo resuelvan," he says, "y el Esfinge Argentino, mitad mujer pot lo cobarde, mitad tigre por lo sanguinario, morira a sus plantas, dando a la Tebas del Plata el tango elevado que le toca entre la naciones del Nuevo Mundo" (Facundo 14).(1) And the series of leaders toppling one another during the bloodiest years of the Mexican Revolution--Madero, Huerta, Villa, Carranza, Obregon--has a typically oedipal ring. The same holds true for literary texts of these times. Of course, Cortes's Cartas de relacion and Sarimiento's Facundo are considered literary as well as historical texts. In Latin America, the dividing line between history and fiction is often blurred. But the same oedipal tensions can be seen in purely literary texts, such as Lazarillo de Tormes and even Don Quijote de la Mancha. In Lazarillo, we see the young picaro struggling against a series of cruel masters, killing them off metaphorically, one by one.(2) The entire tale, of course, is a defense to Vuestra Merced in the case that has caused a local scandal--the menage a trois involving Lazaro, the Archpriest and his maid. Lazaro, in relating the facts of the case, points an accusatory finger at the archpriest, just as Cortes, in telling his tale, points an accusatory finger at Diego Velazquez. Cervantes's masterpiece, too, having been read in so many fruitful ways generation after generation, has a distinctly oedipal undertone. The aging hidalgo represents not only the waning of the chivalric ideal, but also the decline of Spain's golden age of imperialism. Cervantes, who in his youth had been a staunch supporter and defender of that imperial ideology, in his later years, in his oedipal literary avatar, was critical of it.(3) Hispanic civilization and culture, in the Old World and the New, is cast and recast in medieval, hierarchical, patriarchal, authoritarian terms, displaying the seeds of conflict between generations. These oedipal tensions, it appears, are a natural part of its creation tales. This is no less true for modern Latin American literature. One has only to look at perhaps the most celebrated work of twentieth century Latin American fiction, Cien anos de soledad. The creation of Macondo is based on the ability to keep the town free of the effects of incest, the tail of the pig. In a sublimely subversive and oedipal gesture, Garcia Marquez has the last Aureliano consummate his love affair with his aunt, as Macondo is destroyed by an apocalyptic whirlwind. The oedipal pattern I am tracing; relates not only to literary creation tales but also to the literary origins of particular writers and particular works. One of the most interesting examples is that of Pablo Neruda. In his literary autobiography, Confieso que he vivido, he tells the story of how he wrote his first poem: Muchas veces me han preguntado cuando escribi mi primer poema, cuando nacio en mi la poesia. Tratare de recordarlo. Muy atras en mi infancia y habiendo apenas aprendido a escribir, senti una vez una intensa emocion y trace unas cuantas palabras semirrimadas, pero extranas a mi, diferentes del lenguaje diario. …
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