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Race and the Critical Trajectory of Espejo de paciencia (1608, 1838) in the Nineteenth Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2022
Abstract
This article examines nineteenth-century citations of Silvestre de Balboa Troya y Quesada's Espejo de paciencia (1608, 1838) in Cuban histories and literary anthologies of that period. Although contemporary scholars reference these citations in their study of Espejo, they have not questioned the treatment of Salvador Golomón, the poem's enslaved epic hero, in these texts. Doing so not only elucidates concerns regarding race in Cuban nation building reflected in the trajectory of the nineteenth-century citations of the poem but also places race at the very center of any discussion of Espejo's historical and literary authenticity by contemporary critics and scholars alike.
Resumen
Este artículo examina citas decimonónicas al poema épico de Silvestre de Balboa Troya y Quesada, Espejo de paciencia (1608, 1838), en libros de historia cubana y antologías literarias de ese periodo. Aunque estudios contemporáneos de Espejo hacen referencia a estas citas, no han cuestionado el tratamiento del héroe épico y esclavizado, Salvador Golomón, en esos textos. Llevar a cabo esta investigación no sólo aclara como cuestiones de raza impactan la construcción de la nación cubana reflejada en estas citas, sino también sitúa estas cuestiones en el pleno centro de cualquier discusión sobre la autenticidad histórica y literaria de Espejo por críticos y estudiosos contemporáneos.
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- Research Article
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- Copyright
- Copyright © 2012 by the Latin American Studies Association
Footnotes
I thank Raquel Chang-Rodríguez for the opportunity to draft an early version of this article for “A Changing Cuba in a Changing World” (March 12–14, 2008), organized by the Bildner Center at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Although that presentation concentrated on the transamerican and transnational nature of Espejo, it led me to the study of the nineteenth-century references analyzed in the current article. I also thank John Nemec and Jenny Hirsch for reading multiple drafts of this article and offering invaluable advice.
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