Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Erro-Peralta, Nora

Abstract

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.

Extent

90 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FA00000946

Format

pdf

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