Fictions of Patagonia: the invention of the south in Final de novela en Patagonia, by Mempo Giardinelli

Abstract

This paper studies the function of textual space in Final de novela en Patagonia (2000), by Mempo Giardinelli. The hypothesis of this research states that the novel is influenced by stereotypes of the Patagonian foundational texts (distance, desert, emptiness) for two main reasons: first, because the narrator himself is not from Patagonia and, secondly, because these narrative clichés are meant to serve artistic purposes.
The “Thirdspace” theory, by Edward Soja, is used here to study the connection between a perceived spatiality, the conceived spatiality, and the lived spatiality. The basic contribution of Soja‟s theory is in its strategy called “Thirding-as-Othering” which challenges the traditional duality of thinking and performing critical analysis.