Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira

This article explores islandness in the River Plate imaginary. Two modern foundational “island texts” – Thomas More’s _Utopia_ and Daniel Defoe’s _Robinson Crusoe_ – have exerted a formative influence on the Spanish-American colonial imagination, an influence inflected by the particular historical e...

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Main Author: Norman Cheadle
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Island Studies Journal 2009-11-01
Series:Island Studies Journal
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.235
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author Norman Cheadle
author_facet Norman Cheadle
author_sort Norman Cheadle
collection DOAJ
description This article explores islandness in the River Plate imaginary. Two modern foundational “island texts” – Thomas More’s _Utopia_ and Daniel Defoe’s _Robinson Crusoe_ – have exerted a formative influence on the Spanish-American colonial imagination, an influence inflected by the particular historical experience of the River Plate region and its dominant city, Buenos Aires. The figuration of islandness is examined in three twentieth-century Argentine novels by Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira. The article finds both continuity and evolution in the images of islandness in these novels.
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spelling doaj.art-15f8b32fc8d24378bcba4d7e1d3dace12023-06-19T01:34:24ZengIsland Studies JournalIsland Studies Journal1715-25932009-11-0142Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César AiraNorman CheadleThis article explores islandness in the River Plate imaginary. Two modern foundational “island texts” – Thomas More’s _Utopia_ and Daniel Defoe’s _Robinson Crusoe_ – have exerted a formative influence on the Spanish-American colonial imagination, an influence inflected by the particular historical experience of the River Plate region and its dominant city, Buenos Aires. The figuration of islandness is examined in three twentieth-century Argentine novels by Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira. The article finds both continuity and evolution in the images of islandness in these novels.https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.235
spellingShingle Norman Cheadle
Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira
Island Studies Journal
title Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira
title_full Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira
title_fullStr Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira
title_full_unstemmed Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira
title_short Figurations of Islandness in Argentine Culture and Literature: Macedonio Fernández, Leopoldo Marechal, and César Aira
title_sort figurations of islandness in argentine culture and literature macedonio fernandez leopoldo marechal and cesar aira
url https://doi.org/10.24043/isj.235
work_keys_str_mv AT normancheadle figurationsofislandnessinargentinecultureandliteraturemacedoniofernandezleopoldomarechalandcesaraira