Three approaches of interpretation converge in this reading by Martín Rivas. The first is provided by the Chilean socio-historical context of the mid-nineteenth century, which not only determines the novel, but is present within it, as seen in its unveiling of the class structure of the time. The second approach arises from the serious confrontation of Blest Ganaʼs novel with its antecedents in the European novels of the first half of the 19th century: Scott, Stendhal and Balzac mainly. The third approach, recognizing the value of the contributions of previous criticisms by Latcham, Goic, Kirkwood y Faletto, Araya, Concha, Hosiasson, Montes, Salerno and several others, tries to clear up the misunderstandings related to the composition of the work, the main one being with respect to its central axis. In my opinion this is not constituted by the vicissitudes “of the heart” of young Rivas but by the process of his entry and social ascent in a pre-modern Santiago which was already on its way to modernity.
Keywords:
social study, coming of age novel, public premodern space, public modern space
Rojo, G. (2020). “Bajo el exterior de un pobre provinciano.”. Martín Rivas, by Alberto Blest Gana. Revista Chilena De Literatura, (102), pp. 189–220. Retrieved from https://sintesisdejurisprudencia.uchile.cl/index.php/RCL/article/view/60149
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