El folletín como campo de experimentación narrativa: el recurso cinematográfico en El hombre artificial de Horacio Quiroga

Abstract

The serial publication of The artificial man (1910) by Horacio Quiroga represents a departure from previous literary traditions in Argentina. Taking the theme of the construction of an artificial human being, with reference to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and The Future Eve by Villiers De l’Isle-Adam, Quiroga’s short novel poses questions about the status of science in general and of medical knowledge in particular. Whereas previously, in Argentina, such scientific knowledge had become manifest in social and disciplinary regulations, this brief folletín represents a transgression: illness appears displaced from the doctor who judges the social evil to the doctor who reaches the limit of self-destruction. The artificial man also presents innovative narrative techniques. For example, contemporary analyses of Quiroga’s work now consider the influence of films on his literary production from the 1920’s, especially his fantastic stories, written at the same time as his work as a critic of cinema. His novel of 1910 represents an early example of the appropriation of film, for cinema now becomes the basis for his language. His editing films, uses of caché and temporary breaks make this folletín a touchstone for initiating, at the beginning of the 20th century, a new dialogue between cinema and literature in the region of el Río de la Plata.