The stepchild or the enigma of mythical time

Abstract

This essay refers to various narrative procedures in the fictionalizing of the story and it does so from an analysis made from the novel El entenado (The stepchild), by the Argentinian Juan José Saer. It proposes a reflection on three key aspects in this work: 1. The representation of the cannibal and its existence in mythical time; 2. The memory and awareness of extermination; and 3. The witness as a historically authoritative voice in the stories. The notion of time, the development of consciousness, the memory and language of a cannibal village in the Rio de la Plata region are narrated by a young sixteenth century Spanish sailor, who shares that life for ten years as a prisoner. In this novel Saer embarks on a fictional and speculative journey aimed at unraveling the notion of life and death in a village and a mythical time.