Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Decimonónica
Volume
17
Issue
1
Publisher
Decimonónica
Publication Date
2020
First Page
34
Last Page
49
Abstract
Alberto Blest Gana, in his 1863 novel El ideal de un calavera, organizes and presents crafted images of chilenidad that are so pervasive they assume intrinsic value and take precedence over the plot narrative. Blest Gana (1830-1920) is well known for his realistic accounts of Chilean celebrations, customs, and pastimes. He consistently integrates detailed expository accounts into his writing that emphasize Chile’s unique culture. In El ideal de un calavera, for example, rather than organize themselves in an orderly line at the entrance of the theater, Chileans form an apretura, a practice in which patrons jockey for preferential positions around the door in order to gain entrance ahead of others. The resulting chaos, filled with unique and varied expressions, movements, and actions, enrich this scene with what the narrator terms “ese sello peculiar de nacionalidad” (140). This opening image of the theater scene is captivating because it concentrates the Portilian notion of an organized and stable political system with a highly authoritarian and aggressive popular culture (Encina 445-453). Fernando Unzueta notes that costumbrista descriptions cultivate a “communal identity construction” by offering glimpses into the national way of life (145). These descriptions allow Blest Gana, and his readers, to explore a lettered conception of Chilean identity (Fuenzalida Grandón 200). Indeed, it is widely accepted that nineteenth-century Latin American literature is didactic in nature and is written with the purpose of promoting values, customs, and processes that cultivate nation-building (Anderson 25; Sommer 7).
Recommended Citation
Hanson, Cody, "Lifting the Curtain on the Nation: The Theater and Nation-Building in El ideal de un calavera" (2020). Decimonónica. Paper 108.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/decimononica/108