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Affective environments : nature-culture in narratives about the Pampas and Patagonia (19th-21st centuries) Robles, Patricio
Abstract
This dissertation engages with narratives set in the Southern Cone of the Americas: the Pampas and Patagonia. I focus on two periods—the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries and the late twentieth to early twenty-first centuries—during which there has been considerable writing. This dissertation centers on one aspect: the relationship between nature and culture, a dualism that, I argue, becomes a regional trope. In the early chapters, I examine how both regions were characterized by European travellers and Argentine writers, analyzing foundational figures such as Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Charles Darwin, and Francisco Moreno. They described these geographies as spaces dominated by untamed nature, sometimes as deserts that impose adverse conditions for establishing society. With nuances, they promoted the taming of these regions to develop the Argentine nation. In a word, they fostered the drive for modernity. In this first period, I also analyze narratives from the gauchesca genre. They reflect a questioning of the postulates of modernity, but I state they still operate within the foundational parameters. They reveal, though, that when there is a critique of modernity, the narratives tend to emphasize the other aspect of dualism, in this case, nature. Following this assertion, my central observation is that the dichotomy tends to be subverted in contemporary narratives following an extensive questioning of modernity. In the last two chapters, I examine travel writing in Patagonia by authors such as Bruce Chatwin, Luis Sepúlveda, Mempo Giardinelli, and Maristella Svampa, and novels of the “rural turn” in the Pampas by authors like Matilde Sánchez, Natalia Rodríguez, and Samanta Schweblin. Although I state that there is a reversal of the dualism, the perceptions of both regions differ, due to what I call space occupation and affective intensities. Different levels of intervention in both regions influence the narratives’ portrayal. During the twentieth century, the Pampas became Argentina's main productive area, while Patagonia remained largely unaltered. Analyzing these divergent trajectories, I study how representations evolved differently. In Patagonia, narratives tend to depict a space that requires protection. Meanwhile, in the Pampas, they lean toward portraying a space completely altered by human intervention.
Item Metadata
| Title |
Affective environments : nature-culture in narratives about the Pampas and Patagonia (19th-21st centuries)
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| Creator | |
| Supervisor | |
| Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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| Date Issued |
2024
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| Description |
This dissertation engages with narratives set in the Southern Cone of the Americas: the Pampas and Patagonia. I focus on two periods—the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries and the late twentieth to early twenty-first centuries—during which there has been considerable writing. This dissertation centers on one aspect: the relationship between nature and culture, a dualism that, I argue, becomes a regional trope. In the early chapters, I examine how both regions were characterized by European travellers and Argentine writers, analyzing foundational figures such as Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Charles Darwin, and Francisco Moreno. They described these geographies as spaces dominated by untamed nature, sometimes as deserts that impose adverse conditions for establishing society. With nuances, they promoted the taming of these regions to develop the Argentine nation. In a word, they fostered the drive for modernity. In this first period, I also analyze narratives from the gauchesca genre. They reflect a questioning of the postulates of modernity, but I state they still operate within the foundational parameters. They reveal, though, that when there is a critique of modernity, the narratives tend to emphasize the other aspect of dualism, in this case, nature. Following this assertion, my central observation is that the dichotomy tends to be subverted in contemporary narratives following an extensive questioning of modernity. In the last two chapters, I examine travel writing in Patagonia by authors such as Bruce Chatwin, Luis Sepúlveda, Mempo Giardinelli, and Maristella Svampa, and novels of the “rural turn” in the Pampas by authors like Matilde Sánchez, Natalia Rodríguez, and Samanta Schweblin. Although I state that there is a reversal of the dualism, the perceptions of both regions differ, due to what I call space occupation and affective intensities. Different levels of intervention in both regions influence the narratives’ portrayal. During the twentieth century, the Pampas became Argentina's main productive area, while Patagonia remained largely unaltered. Analyzing these divergent trajectories, I study how representations evolved differently. In Patagonia, narratives tend to depict a space that requires protection. Meanwhile, in the Pampas, they lean toward portraying a space completely altered by human intervention.
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| Genre | |
| Type | |
| Language |
eng
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| Date Available |
2024-10-21
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| Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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| Rights |
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
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| DOI |
10.14288/1.0445625
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| URI | |
| Degree | |
| Program | |
| Affiliation | |
| Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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| Graduation Date |
2024-11
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| Campus | |
| Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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| Rights URI | |
| Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International