A new intervention in the national imaginary: the portrayal of the southwest in the novels of Paul Auster.

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The article focuses on two novels by Paul Auster, The Book of Illusions (2002), Travels in the Scriptorium (2006), in which the Southwest emerges as a mythical territory, providing a rich ground in which the American grand narratives can be explored and revised. It is the contention of the article that the choice of this particular locale affords an excellent opportunity for a critical engagement with the national imaginary, the powerful myths shaping the American imagination. Travels in the Scriptorium reinvents the Southwest as the bloody arena on which the American imperialist mission is reenacted. In the novel, the Alien Territories, representing the American Southwest in the historical expansion of the United States, figure as a site of vicious struggle and ruthless conquest. By contrast, The Book of Illusions, presents the Southwest, specifically New Mexico, as the last mainstay of the American Dream. The creation of the Blue Stone Ranch in the “wilderness” of New Mexico and its transformation encapsulate the history of the American nation in its essential stages. But more importantly, the Southwest is envisioned as a region invested with a restorative, almost sacred quality. The Book of Illusion is the story of trauma. And the recovery from trauma is a process that either originates or takes place in New Mexico. RESUMEN: Este articulo se centra en dos novelas de Paul Auster, The Book of Illusions (2002) y Travels in the Scriptorium (2006) en las cuales el Sudoeste emerge como un territorio mitico que proporciona un espacio para la exploracion y revision de las grandes narrativas americanas. El proposito es senalar la eleccion de esta localizacion en particular como una oportunidad excelente para desarrollar un compromiso critico con el imaginario nacional, conformado por los solidos mitos y representaciones que configuran la imaginacion americana. Travels in the Scriptorium redefine el Sudoeste como el terreno sangriento en el que se recrea la mision colonialista americana. En la novela, los Territorios Foraneos, que representan el sudoeste americano dentro de la expansion historica de los Estados Unidos figuran como un lugar de lucha y conquista violentas. Por el contrario, The Book of Illusions presenta el Sudoeste, Nuevo Mexico especificamente, como el ultimo pilar del sueno americano. La creacion del rancho Blue Stone en las tierras salvajes de Nuevo Mexico y su transformacion comprenden la historia de la nacion americana en sus etapas constitutivas. De forma significativa, el Sudoeste se concibe como una region con rasgos revitalizadores, casi sagrados. Asi, The Book of Illusions es la historia del trauma cuyo proceso de recuperacion se origina y tiene lugar en Nuevo Mexico.