Romanticism and indianism in Cumandá, by J.L. Mera

Abstract

This paper indends to make an analysis of the novel Cumandá of the ecuadorian writer Juan León Mera. Certain opposite pairs as nature/agriculture, civilization/barbarism, and Christian/no Christian are especially analyzed. Thoughts about these topics try to identify the autor's social and political ideology on both narrative and plot levels. On the other hand, this leads to review and question traditional definitions of "indianism" and the usual characteristics given to Hispanic American romanticism. Hypotheses about this last theme demand paying attention to the configuration of the heroes of the novel, developed through a comparison with Goethe's Werther.