Altazor (1931) – Vicente Huidobro
Sobre el autor: Vicente
García-Huidobro Fernández, y su obra
-
Chile,
1893-1948
-
Aristocratic/noble family – never had to worry
about money (unlike most of his contemporaries)
-
Lived much of second half of life in Paris
(European/French influence)
-
He wrote in many genres: essays, poetry,
narrative, etc.
Huidobro’s style and work
-
Creacionismo/Creationism – artistic movement
that held belief that a poet should bring to life the things he or she writes
about, rather than just describe them
-
Influences of avant-garde, modernism, and cubism
-
This work, Altazor,
was considered his masterpiece
o
Use of experimental language – influence of
vanguardism
o
Divided in 7 semi-related “cantos”
-
Plays with idea of connotations (like Mallarmé)
but does so in a different way
Comps Questions
-
The historical vanguards (especially surrealismo, negrismo, and creacionismo)
and their impact on modern narrative, poetry, and theater. Authors: Bombal,
Huidobro, as well as periods of Vallejo and Neruda; Guillén. Some suggested readings: Unruh, Osorio, Nelson,
Verani, Videla de Rivero.
o
Huidobro’s Altazor
is one of the best examples of creationism.
Political/Social context
-
Started writing in 1919 and published in 1931.
This was an optimistic time period, after World War I and before World War II.
There was the idea that the “war to end all wars was over, and now there was a
new world to create.” (Introduction to
A’s version of text)
-
Tone of “need for speed” – this is “surely the
fastest-reading long poem ever written” (intro)
-
Obsession in the time period with flight and
airplanes – Charles Lindbergh’s famous flight from New York to Paris in 1927
-
Titanic sunk in 1912 (there are some references
to water, ocean, shipwreck, and icebergs)
“Summary” of Altazor (Wikipedia)
El Canto I es el más largo, con casi setecientos
versos, y también el más estructurado. Su contenido es de corte metafísico, y
en él el poeta se representa como «Altazor». El Canto II, en cambio, es una oda
a la mujer. Los Cantos III al VII, finalmente, buscan jugar con la progresiva
desarticulación del lenguaje y sus límites expresivos.
Creationism
-
This literary movement/trend originated roughly
around 1912-1916, and is an example of a literary movement by Latin Americans
that affects European literature (another example is modernism)
-
“Huidobro’s banner, in the proliferation of
isms, was Creationism, a movement of which he was essentially the only member. It
declared that poetry, the gloss on, or simulacram of, reality, was dead. In the
new world, the poets, ‘little gods,’ would invent their own worlds… It was a
movement that was simultaneously modern, in its belief that in the new era
human imagination would be able to do anything, and archaic, reflecting the
contemporary preoccupation with the ‘primitive,’ particularly the spells and
charms of sympathetic magic.” (Introduction of A’s version of text, by Eliot
Weinberger)
-
Creacionismo/Creationism – artistic movement
that held belief that a poet should bring to life the things he or she writes
about, rather than just describe them (Wikipedia)
-
Idea of creating new linguistic worlds/realities
-
Antimimético, pero comprometido con época
y existencia humana – idea that the writer should be a witness for his time period
(in this text, he’s a witness to the time period between world wars)
o
Mimesis es algo que viene de los griegos – idea
de imitar al mundo ------ antimimético: we no longer need to imitate the
material world around us, we can create our own world because we as poets have
power
o
Creationism creates its own world with its own
rules (example: in Huidobro’s world of Altazor, you can float on a parachute
for an indefinite amount of time)
-
Some
characteristics/techniques of creationism:
o
Play with
connotations and polysemy (plurality of meaning)
o
Requires very active
reader
o Internal logic – autonomy
(freedom, independent stance) of literary work [“la obra tiene en sí su propia
razón para ser”]
o “concretar lo abstracto o
abstraer lo concreto”
o
Criticism of
institutions (such as traditional poetry, religious beliefs, etc.) and of
morals and logic of conventional society – idea that the human being as an
individual creates/directs his own life rather than having to be guided by institutional
authorities (such as Christian God)
o
Typographical
disposition of the words
o
Use of neologisms
(new, invented words)
Temas/ideas importantes [en
el poema]
-
Estilo
de escritura
o
Very random, disoriented style of writing. Kind
of like stream-of-consciousness.
o
Contradictions/contrasts in things he says
o
Use of versification / verse length to emphasize
certain areas (example pg. 20, 22 – “No”)
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Literary techniques
o
Repetition (in various ways – words, verb type,
sounds)
o
Metaphor
o
Simile
(ex: “Ya vas a la muerte derecho como un iceberg que se desprende del polo” –
pg. 16)
-
Influence of vanguardism (maybe?) – historical
vanguardism
o
Experimentation
-
Influence of creationism
o
“Manicura
de la lengua es el poeta… Y todo lo que dice es por él inventado / Cosas que
pasan fuera del mundo cotidiano / Matemos al poeta que nos tiene saturados”
(68, 70) – poet’s ability/responsibility to change/beautify language,
CREATIONISM
o
Criticism of Christian religious
institution (Canto I, pg. 18)
o
Relation to a specific time period – you can see
some of Huidobro’s worries about his own time period in the poem, although it
seems like a random jumble at first glance.
-
Influence of modernism
o
Plays with concept of religion, some
profanity/secularization
o
Power/responsibility of poet as special person
who can create new things with language – (example: pg. 68,70)
-
Religion
o
“Abrí
los ojos en el siglo / En que moría el cristianismo / Retorcido en su cruz agonizante
/ Ya va a dar el último suspiro / Y mañana qué pondremos en el sitio vacío? …
Morirá el cristianismo que no ha resuelto ningún problema / Que sólo ha
ensenado plegarias muertas / Muere después de dos mil años de existencia… El
Cristo quiere morir acompañado de millones de almas” --- RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS (Canto I, pg. 18)
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Experimentation
o
Switching back and forth of perspective
o
Disjointed language/theme
o
Use of versification / verse length to emphasize
certain areas (example pg. 20, 22 – “No”)
-
Experimentation
with language
o
“the old language of poetry is consumed with the
body of the poet, and a new language, progressively more radical, is created
out of puns, neologisms, animal and plant dialects, and pages of identical
rhymes” (introduction)
o
“Huidobro’s vision of poetry as a divine game of
language” (introduction)
o
“One should write in a language that is not the
mother tongue.” / “Se debe escribir en una lengua que no sea materna.”
(Prefacio, pg. 4)
-
Gender
/ Role of women
o
Canto II is an ode to woman
o
Objectification of woman – focus on physical
attributes
-
Theme of falling [into space]
o
“La
vida es un viaje en paracaídas y no lo que tú quieres creer.” (Prefacio,
pg. 8)
o
Constant references to parachute, falling, and
stars
-
Nature
o
Birds, especially – unknown bird, nightingale
(ruiseñor), doves (palomas), swallow (golondrina)
o
Air and sky – stars especially
o
Also waters – ocean (?)
-
Abstract vs. concrete
o
“Sé
triste tal cual las gacelas ante el infinito” (Prefacio)
§ Gacela es concreta, pero infinito es
abstracto – combinación de los dos lados
-
Intertextuality (references to both other texts
and the time period)
o
“Ya
La Europa enterró todos sus muertos” – reference to World War I (Canto I, pg. 18)
General Notes – Altazor
Prefacio
-
Summary / Basic ideas
o
Narrator recalls birth and childhood, and his
parents
o
Obsession with parachute (“paracaídas”) since
childhood
o
Nature – birds, particularly
o
Heard the voice of “the Creator” (“el Creador”)
one day – tells about how the earth was created
§
Slight profanity – this creator says that He
drank cognac in process of making earth
o
“One should write in a language that is not the
mother tongue.” / “Se debe escribir en una lengua que no sea materna.” (4)
o
Says he met the Virgin (6)
o
“La
vida es un viaje en paracaídas y no lo que tú quieres creer.” (8)
§ Tú = el lector (ACTIVE READER)
-
Various references to technology of the period –
reflects period’s interest/obsession with Charles Lindbergh and the airplane
-
Creationist characteristics
o
Mocking a bit of Christian religion (criticism
of institutions)
o
Creation of different internal logics – “four
cardinal points are three”
Canto I
-
Style
o
Second person – directed at “Altazor” in you
form [or is it directed at reader???] … switches back and forth in
perspective/point of view from second person (you) to first person (I)
o
No consistent style of stanza/rhyme
o
Use of versification / verse length to emphasize
certain areas (example pg. 20, 22 – “No”)
-
Summary/things noticed
o
Basically: Why did you lose confidence? (12)
o
“You’re falling” – Repetition of “fall” (14)
o
Idea
of being trapped (Altazor) – “encerrado en la jaula de su destino” (16)
o
“Abrí
los ojos en el siglo / En que moría el cristianismo / Retorcido en su cruz
agonizante / Ya va a dar el último suspiro / ¿Y mañana qué pondremos en el
sitio vacío? … Morirá el cristianismo que no ha resuelto ningún problema / Que
sólo ha ensenado plegarias muertas / Muere después de dos mil años de
existencia… El Cristo quiere morir acompañado de millones de almas” --- RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS (18)
o
“Soy
yo que estoy hablando en este año de 1919” (18)
o
Ya La
Europa enterró todos sus muertos” – reference to World War I (18) -
INTERTEXTUALITY
o
“Todo ha de alejarse en la muerte esconderse
en la muerte” (24)
o
“¿qué
has hecho de mí Vicente Huidobro?” (24)
o
Stopped
reading this Canto at pg. 26
-
Creationist techniques/characteristics
o
Criticism of Christian religious institution
-
Violation of generic conventions
o
Plays with use of anaphora (anáfora) – uses it
in unconventional way (example: pg. 14)
§
Anaphora = repetition of a word or words at
the beginning of two or more successive verses, clauses, or sentences
-
Existential themes
o
Theme of falling – [possibly] mortal fall?
§
also: reference to the fall of Adam and Eve and
an evil angel that protects the entrance of the garden of Eden
Canto II
-
Style
-
Summary/Basic ideas
o
Una oda a la mujer.
o
Directed at a woman (first word: “mujer”) (54)
o
Focus on physical attributes of woman: eyes,
head, lips, hair, arches of brows (54)
o
Comparison
of woman with flower? – “Sin más abrigo que una flor se apaga” (56)
o
“tu
gracia frágil” (56)
o
Woman
is supremely important – “Haces dudar al tiempo,” “Lejos de ti todo es mortal,”
“Sólo lo que piensa en ti tiene sabor a eternidad” (56)
o
Idea of a certain attachment between male
narrator and woman – “Estamos cosidos por la misma estrella” (58)
o
“¿Qué
sería la vida si no hubieras nacido?” (60)
o
He’s
really into this woman; says she erases all bitterness from life – “Y borras en el alma adormecida / La
amargura de ser vivo” (60)
o
“Tu
voz hace un imperio en el espacio / Y esa mano que se levanta en ti como si
fuera a colgar soles en el aire” (62)
o
“Si
tú murieras / Las estrellas a pesar de su lámpara encendida / Perderían el
camino / ¿Qué sería del universo?” (64)
-
Existential
themes
o
Idea that the woman is what gives sense to his
existence; existence depends upon the woman
Canto III
-
Style
o
First part of this poem is uniform in style –
two line stanzas; also something sort of like rhyming (rima asonante)! (Wow!)…
but then he bursts into all that random mess that’s not at all uniform
§
For a while, even that seems like it could be
re-broken up into couplets (rhythm remains the same). Towards end even that
fades out as rhythm continues changing.
o
Series
of similes (pg. 70, 72)
o
Repetiton:
§ “poesía” (pg. 70)
§
Verb style – all infinitives AND also similes
(pg. 72)
-
Summary/Basic
ideas
o
“Y el
avión trae un lenguaje diferente / Para la boca de los cielos de siempre” (66)
o
Idea that nature will change and transform… “Conducirá el rebaño (flock) a su pastor” (68)
o
“Manicura
de la lengua es el poeta… Y todo lo que dice es por él inventado / Cosas que
pasan fuera del mundo cotidiano / Matemos al poeta que nos tiene saturados”
(68, 70) – poet’s ability/responsibility to change/beautify language,
CREATIONISM
o
“Etc.
etc. etc.” (72)
o
“Todas
las lenguas están muertas / Muertas en manos del vecino trágico / Hay que
resucitar las lenguas” (74)
o
“Vive
vive como un balón de fútbol” (74)
o
Metaphor of poetry (¿?) like sport – I think
(74)
-
Role of writer/poet
o
“Manicura
de la lengua es el poeta… Y todo lo que dice es por él inventado / Cosas que
pasan fuera del mundo cotidiano / Matemos al poeta que nos tiene saturados”
(68, 70) – poet’s ability/responsibility to change/beautify language,
CREATIONISM
-
Violation of generic conventions
o
Repetition in various ways
o
Excessive repetition of similes in one section
(pg. 72) – perhaps mocking the over-frequent usage of similes and comparisons
by other poets (idea that comparison isn’t way to truly describe something and
make it come alive, you have to go deeper than that)
-
How is he constructing lines of poetry? What
sorts of experiments are going on with the lines?
o
Pg. 72 – last word of line goes into next word
(here he’s playing with the stereotypes about repetition being bad style in
poetry)
-
Existential themes, human condition and his time
period
o
“Todas
las lenguas están muertas / Muertas en manos del vecino trágico / Hay que
resucitar las lenguas” (74)
Canto IV
-
Style
o
Directed at a “you/tú”
o
Mixed length of stanzas; paragraph-like stanza
pg. 86
o
No rhyme except very randomly and occasionally
o
Repetition:
§ “no hay tiempo que perder”
§
Series of “or” and “and”, with similes – pg. 86
§
Series of “ya viene” – pg. 88
§
Series of “Aquí yace” – pg. 94
o
Use of onomatopoeia or sound based verse in last
three lines – pg. 98
o
Word play – combination of multiple words in
one, creation of new words
-
Summary/
things noticed
o
Focus on rapid passage of time
o
The importance of the eye – scientific interest
(80)
o
“Ahora
que me siento y me pongo a escribir” – metafiction? (82)
o
Again, passage of time – “darse prisa darse
prisa” – have to rush to be able to do everything (82)
o
Vague
[objectifying] references to women – “la más novia que se esconde en su piel de
flor,” “préstame tu mujer con pantorrillas de florero de amapolas jóvenes” (84)
o
Stopped
really reading at pg. 86
o
New, almost stumbling, words on way to saying
“rosinol” – pg. 90
o
Play with the word “golondrina”
o
At end, onomatopoeia-like sounds for last three
lines – could be related to both bird sounds (from previous bird reference) or
idea of falling
-
Influence
of creationism
o
Word play – combination of multiple words in
one, creation of new words
o
Use of estribillo
-
Existential
themes
o
The idea of the unstoppable passage of time
§ “No hay tiempo que perder” (78) – repeated
§ “De su canto llorando al tiempo / porque
se escurre entre los dedos” (78)
§ “darse prisa darse prisa” (82)
o
“porque
el hombre malo o la mujer severa / no pueden nada contra la mortalidad de la
casa” (84)
Canto V
-
Style
o
Sometimes directed at a “tú”
o
Mixed stanza lengths; turns into five-line
stanzas for a bit pg. 106
o
Repetition of “Molino” (114-124) – abuse of
anaphora technique/strategy
-
Summary/quotes
o
“Aquí comienza campo inexplorado” (100) – idea
of exploration in desire of new creation
o
Theme of shipwreck (naufragio) – pg. 100, 102
o
“El
miedo cambia la forma de las flores / Que esperan temblando el juicio final”
(100)
o
“La
joven pálida como su propia estatua / Que yo amé en un rincón de mi vida” (102)
– again, slightly objectifying view of women (as statues)
o
“Como
está creciendo la idea del suicidio en la bella jardinera” (104)
o
Idea of masculine vs. feminine – pg. 102, 106
o
Constant references to a comet that “never
comes” (ex: pg. 106)
o
Stopped
really reading at pg. 108
o
Spaced
repetition of “se abre la tumba” – pg. 110
o
Repetition
of “molino” (114-124)
o
“Así reímos y cantamos en esta hora” (126) –
reference to when / what time period it was written in
o
“Y yo
oigo la risa de los muertos debajo de la tierra” (136)
-
Influence
of creationism
o
“Aquí comienza campo inexplorado” (100) – idea
of exploration in desire of new creation
-
Influence of modernism
o
Some vague biblical references – ex: 100, 102
o
Play
with creation of new words: “una flor que llaman girasol / y un sol que se
llama giraflor” (106)
o
Some play of where words are on page (ex: 112)
Canto VI
-
Style
o
Odd spacing of words on page
o
Tons of one-word repetition
o
Repetition:
“apoteosis,” “molusco,” “noche,” “nudo,” “cristal”
-
Summary/quotes
o
“apotheosis” –
o
Seemingly random words thrown on page… but there
is some repetition… he’s trying to express some idea but I just don’t care
enough to find it!
o
Repetition of “cristal” – at the end: “cristal
sueno,” “cristal viaje,” “cristal muerte” (146)
o
Los
contrastes: Lo duradero/fijo y lo no-fijo/efímero
§ Duradero/fijo – estatua, nudo, molusca?,
cristal
§ Lo delicado/lo no-fijo – noche, seda, nube
§ Objects with different connotations
o
Idea
de cosas del mar (otra vez referencia al tema del naufragio)
§ Moluscas
o
Mention of “la rosa” – symbolic reference to previous
poetry
o
“el clarín de la Babel” – biblical reference,
but also idea that this part of the poem is converted in a type of Babel, lack
of understandable communication
-
Influence
of creationism
-
Influence
of modernism
o
Play with where words are on page
Canto VII
-
Style
o
Play with where words are on page – disposición
tipográfica
-
Summary/quotes
o
It’s all onomatopoeia based sounds that vaguely
seem to warp words but don’t really seem to mean anything…
o
These sounds could be representative of someone
falling
-
Influence
of creationism
o
Invention/creation of new words – based very
loosely on true words, but new.
o
Forces active reader participation
GENERAL NOTES/TOPICS OF DISCUSSION (In class)
-
Lo
lúdico (playful/fun)
o
Jerigonza
(gibberish)
o
Nueva
lógica
-
Metapoesía
y papel del poeta
-
Innovaciones
creacionistas
o
Con
palabras, estribillos
o
Estrofas
/ versos / rima
§
No set pattern, switches/changes constantly, or is
completely absent/random
§ Abuses/exploits technique of anaphora
(repetition)
o
Reglas
de poesía anterior
§
Mocks and twists conventional rules: example –
abuse of technique of anaphora
o
Gramática
§
Grammar doesn’t really exist in the conventional
sense in the later cantos… ex: changes gender of words
o
Juegos/experimentación
§
Idea of possibility of self-re-creation in his
words/language/declarations.
·
Ex:
“y ahora soy mar,” etc. etc. etc. (Canto V, por ejemplo)
§
Use of rhetorical voice to question new ideas
and new “rules”
§
Very playful repetition
o
Disposición
tipográficas
-
Cambios
desde los primeros cantos a los últimos
o
Primeros:
temas existenciales
o
Últimos:
lúdicos
-
Lenguaje
o
Jerigonza
(gibberish)
o
Neologismos
o
Comunicación
vs. Incomunicación
§ Referencia a Babel, Canto V
§
Conflict between communication and lack thereof
– contrasts; these are the two extremes
§
The danger of the game/experimentation with
poetry is arriving at a complete lack of communication due to going too far to
the extreme.
-
Papel
del lector
o
Obra
abierta
o
Obra
cerrada
o
Polisemia
o
Requires very active reader that participates
and interacts with the text to work to understand it
Tres novelas ejemplares (1935)
“Salvad vuestros ojos
(Novela posthistórica)”
-
Seems totally nonsensical at beginning… “Era el día de Navidad, el 1º de mayo”
-
Metafiction:
“Como el lector debe haber comprendido”
-
Man has disappeared from earth and there’s a new
type of being now: “glóbulo hermafrometálico”
o
Like a mechanized being (Huidobro’s interest in
technology…)
-
The beings’ names
o
Antonio – lone male
o
José – males in group
o
Carolina – females in big group
o
Rose Marie – females in small group
-
Describes talents/skills of the different beings
-
“Para
la perfecta comprensión de nuestra historia…” – repeated
-
The beings
transformed the Earth
-
Some sexual innuendo with Rose Marie and José
-
End: “Para
la perfecta comprensión de nuestra historia, aquí debemos terminar nuestra
historia” WHAT???
-
**Creationism: invented words / neologisms,
abstract stuff, experimental style, commentary on “institution” of human life,
internal logic
-
**Huidobro: interest in technology, some French language
(he lived in Paris)
“La cigüeña encadenada
(novela patriótica y alsaciana)”
-
Cigüeña
= stork
-
The country of Alsacia – Highland country…….
Alsacia = Germany??
-
Some references to German language
-
Hans Gunter
-
Metafiction – some references to reader;
references to writers Arp and Huidobro (with first names exchanged)
-
Some references to war
-
Importance of name Duval: some great leader –
everyone is named Duval, Duval becomes the only word of a new language
-
Nonsensical language
o
Couple at end: all they say is “duval” but
supposedly it has meaning, which narrator interprets
-
**Creationism: neologism/invented words,
internal logic, experimental style
-
**Huidobro: references to war
