THE AVATAR IN PANAMA - Theses - Flinders University

2.2 Modernismo and its Masters: Darío and Quiroga The Avatar in PanamaThe Latin American Short StoryA defining moment in Latin America’s literary development wasthe emergence of the short story, and a redefining of the fantastic andits sub-genre s. The contemporary fantastic story is a product of aperiod during the nineteenth century between Romanticism andSymbolism. Like the doppelganger, the Latin American short storyemerged with the first Romantic generation. 11In Latin America in its Literature, César Fernández Morenoobserves that one of the major criticisms by historiographers of LatinAmerican literature is that its development in the literary field is oftendealt with as separate from its cultural and historic one. Whilecomparisons with Europe are not generally valid in terms of LatinAmerica’s literature, the theme of the double will always be the productof a euro-culture and its many traits and elements, psychological andliterary, indisputably ingrained in the zeitgeist. 12The new emerging short story excited readers with suspensefulatmosphere and shocked them with surprise endings, which, accordingto Enrique Anderson Imbert, make any narrative seem unrealistic eventhough it is quite the contrary. These unexpected finales entail the writerconcealing a secret from the reader who is maintained in a state ofdeception in order to be stupefied by the ending. 13 Although thisconcluding device is found in all genres, its employment andintroduction into the text can be unique, which has significantimplications for originality. Consequently it may highlight the author’sbiographical elements such as situations, experience, andacquaintances. Anderson Imbert remarks:[t]he material for any narration is traditional inthe sense that the number of possible situationsis, of course, very limited and the writer has no11“El matadero” (circa 1840) by Esteban Echevarría was considered the first work ofits type and did not contain any elements found in the genre of the fantastic. OscarHahn, El cuento fantástico hispanoamericano en el siglo XIX. Segunda edición.(México: Premia, 1982) 11-12. 14.12 “In viewing the development of this literature one of the major stumbling blocks inthe path of its clear perception is the prevailing tendency among historiographers ofLatin American literature to view its literary evolution as separate from the continent’scultural, historic and economic development. The continent’s literature is too oftenseen as a product of European culture. And while derivative elements are undeniablypresent in its works even today, it is a patent distortion to equate Latin AmericanLiterature with European schools, trends, or movements”. Moreno 32.13 Anderson Imbert, “Rubén Darío and the Fantastic Element in Literature”, RubénDarío Centennial Studies, trans. Anne Bonner. Gonzalez Gerth, Miguel.; Schade,George D.; Texas. U at Austin. Dept. of Romance Languages. (Austin: Dept. ofSpanish and Portuguese, Institute of Latin American Studies, U of Texas at Austin,c1970) 98.95