Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
Silas Weir Mitchell in 1872 defined as "phantom limb" the sensation and feelings of
anxiety, confusion and even pain the amputee receives from an absent body part. By extending
this concept and applying it to the architectural imagery within literature, it is possible to observe
the dynamics between the characters and their structural environment. This thesis explores the
relation between spatial structure and identity in two Latin American works: "Walking Around"
(1933) by Pablo Neruda and Aura (1962) by Carlos Fuentes. Both authors introduce architecture
as an intrinsic element in the construction of their narrative; Neruda's poetic voice wanders
around a seemingly living city, while Fuentes's characters abandon the city to become part of a
house. The architectural imagery of both texts leads the reader to explore the construction of its
literary subjects and to see the physical space as their "phantom limbs." This reading will
elucidate the importance of architecture within Latin American literature as well as reveal the
maneuvering of the structural representations in the construction of the Latin America identity.
anxiety, confusion and even pain the amputee receives from an absent body part. By extending
this concept and applying it to the architectural imagery within literature, it is possible to observe
the dynamics between the characters and their structural environment. This thesis explores the
relation between spatial structure and identity in two Latin American works: "Walking Around"
(1933) by Pablo Neruda and Aura (1962) by Carlos Fuentes. Both authors introduce architecture
as an intrinsic element in the construction of their narrative; Neruda's poetic voice wanders
around a seemingly living city, while Fuentes's characters abandon the city to become part of a
house. The architectural imagery of both texts leads the reader to explore the construction of its
literary subjects and to see the physical space as their "phantom limbs." This reading will
elucidate the importance of architecture within Latin American literature as well as reveal the
maneuvering of the structural representations in the construction of the Latin America identity.
Member of