La letra con sangre entra La emancipada (1863) de Miguel Riofrío, primera novela ecuatoriana

Abstract

This essay revises elements present in the Emancipated (1863), a text that establishes the Ecuadorian novel, and which represents for the first time the territory of this nation. It revises the manner in which this novel relates with other discourses, such as the traditional refrain that states «Learning is achieved by punishment», in reference to the domination and control exercised by the elites over subordinate subjects (in this case Indians and women). It emphasizes the fact that the protagonist validates a foreign text, by signing a letter edited by his father; although he writes his own message on other side of the paper, the purpose of this message is unclear when it arrives at its destination. The motive with which Ecuadorian literature reveals other elements which contributed to the formation of Latin American nations in the 19th century.