Raúl Silva Castro and a project for a conservative modernization of literary criticism

Abstract

This article reinterprets Silva Castro’s work in light of his political and ideological trajectory, as a project of conservative modernization of literary criticism. A spiritual vision of literature and an aristocratizing cosmopolitanism are crucial elements to understand the role he gives to the elite in the cultural development of the country. We propose that Silva Castro’s project of modernization can be observed in his participation in conservative institutional policies and in his impulse to the professionalization of criticism in which academic internationalization stands out. Outside Chile, Silva Castro will try to demonstrate the spiritual and cosmopolitan character of Chilean literature, critically distancing himself from the mesocratic reformism close to criollismo.