The Myth as an Expression of Cultural Misunderstanding in El país de la canela by William Ospina
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.elc.14449Keywords:
Ospina, William, El país de la canela, El Dorado, historical novel, Colombian novel, myth in literatureAbstract
This essay explores the symbolism and the functionality of the El Dorado myth and of "el país de la canela" in the historical novel El país de la canela (2009) by William Ospina. The thesis argues that the mythical belief is an allegory of cultural misunderstanding caused by the clash of two different worlds (European and Indigenous). This misunderstanding maintained the beginning of the conquest and colonization. The thesis is developed using two elements: the opposition between oral tradition and writing and between law and defiance. It concludes by corroborating the political ties with the historical novel: a look on the past to illuminate the battered present.
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