Otra manera de mirar». The Fantastic Genre and the Literature of the Absurd: Towards a Rejection of the Order of Reality

This paper aims to draw attention to the similarities between literature of the absurd and the fantasy genre, and raises the possibility that there is a common ground between the two. This would be determined mainly by (i) the way in which they similarly challenge an established idea of reality, (ii...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brumal : Revista de Investigación sobre lo Fantástico = research journal on the fantastic 2015-06, Vol.3 (1), p.185-205
Main Author: Torres Rabassa, Gerard
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Subjects:
fantastic genre
fantástico
géneros literarios
literary genres
literatura del absurdo
literature of the absurd
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Summary:This paper aims to draw attention to the similarities between literature of the absurd and the fantasy genre, and raises the possibility that there is a common ground between the two. This would be determined mainly by (i) the way in which they similarly challenge an established idea of reality, (ii) the problematization of language as a medium capable of designating the world, (iii) their intentio to provoke a certain effect on the reader, such as restlessness, anguish or «metaphysical fear», and (iv) a remarkable semantic coincidence. From this critical point of view I will interrogate some texts by Kafka, Cortázar, Beckett and Boris Vian, among others. El presente artículo se propone llamar la atención sobre las similitudes que unen la literatura del  absurdo y el género fantástico, planteando la posibilidad de que exista una colindancia entre ambos. Tal colindancia estaría determinada, entre otros aspectos, por su análoga impugnación de la idea establecida de realidad; por su problematización del lenguaje en cuanto medio capaz de designar el mundo; por su intentio de generar sobre el lector un efecto concreto (inquietud, angustia, «miedo metafísico»); y por una remarcable coincidencia semántica. Desde este ángulo crítico se interrogarán, entre otros, algunos textos de Kafka, Cortázar, Beckett y Boris Vian.  
ISSN:2014-7910
2014-7910