Geopoetic Formation and Ontological Transcendence in 98 Seconds Without a Shadow by Giovanna Rivero and The Sound of the H by Magela Baudoin

Authors

  • Alexander Torres University of South Florida

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/bsj.2023.304

Keywords:

Bildungsroman, ontological thirst, capitalist modernity, geopoetics, lifeworld

Abstract

This article will examine two Bolivian Bildungsromane: 98 segundos sin sombra (2014) by Giovanna Rivero and El sonido de la H (2015) by Magela Baudoin, which demonstrate the use of experiential possibilities opened up by capitalist modernity to achieve individuation and the desire to achieve an ontological status outside of the lifeworld configurations of global capitalism that pervade not only the “center” but also the “periphery.” It will be demonstrated how in the novel of formation there is not only the fundamentally geopoetic dialectic between the self and the world and its synthesis, but also the monomyth that aspires to a superior level of being-in-the-world. In short, the Bildungsroman reflects a drive inherently incompatible with the ontological demands of capitalist modernity.

Published

2023-11-30