The route from Buenos Aires to Paris: Rosa Chacel in Francophile Argentina

Abstract

In this study I rethink, from a transnational perspective, Rosa Chacel's identity construction in the first period of her exile (1940-1960). I argue that her short essays published in the Argentine press on the prominent French authors of the time (Sartre, De Beauvoir, Caillois, Butor) enable Rosa Chacel to forge and develop her new identity that is situated in between Europe and America. The theoretical framework is that of “scenography” (Maingueneau), according to which the essay pursues its persuasive objective by constructing its own scene of enunciation. In this setting, the instance of enunciation interacts with the audience and other participants. By positioning her essays in the center of the French literary scene, Chacel puts herself in direct contact with the summit of a culture that enjoys great prestige among Argentina’s Francophile elites. The strong and lively discussion into which Chacel engages with the great contemporary French writers enables her to demonstrate her rigorous scientific method and to construct her identity as an analytical spirit and as a fair and balanced evaluator. The French literary works, by adressing the most urgent issues of their time, stimulate Chacel to establish a dialogue with various European philosophers and to develop her own line of thought. Altogether, the analysis of prominent French literature offers Chacel a prestigious and relevant context, conducive to build, develop, and grow her identity, at the heart of Parisian culture and within the broader context of European philosophy.