REFIGURATIONS, CONTIGUITIES AND SECRETS:
THE MULTIPLE HISTORICAL-FICTIONAL FACES OF COLUMBUS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18223/hiscult.v11i2.3732Abstract
Based on the notion of narrative refiguration proposed by Paul Ricoeur (2010), in this article we will approach the historical and the fictional in their configurative and refigurative peculiarities, an approach that has been playing an active role in the heuristic process of contemporary fictional narrative. An example are the many literary representations of Christopher Columbus which promote a hermeneutic rereading of his diaries, a strategy that allowed many contemporary narratives to infer about the various historical determinations that the personality and thought of this navigator possibly enjoyed. As we will see, through apparently intentional mistakes, Columbus proliferated geographical doubts, showing evidence that he tried to deceive his fellow travelers, such as the Iberian royalty.