Venezuelan Romantic Epic & Gaucho Poetry: Literary Analysis
Definition of Romantic Epic
A Romantic Epic is a narrative poem characterized by its broad scope, strong nationalistic themes, and a central heroic figure.
Features of Romantic Epic:
- Critical view of reality
- Empathy
- Reliance on documentary sources
- Subjective vision of historical fact
- Poetic style
Summary of *Venezuela Heroica*
by Eduardo Blanco (1881)
Structure:
The book is composed of five sections, each detailing battles of Venezuelan independence:
- La Victoria
- San Mateo
- Las Queseras
- Boyaca
- Carabobo
The work achieved immediate acclaim and was praised by the great Cuban writer José Martí, who said that upon finishing the book, one felt as if they had won a battle.
The second edition, published in 1883, added six new sections:
- Siege of Valencia
- Maturin
- Invasion of the Six Hundred
- The Strong House
- St. Felix
- Matasiete
The raw material of this work comprises the most moving wartime events in Venezuelan history, immortalizing the heroes of independence. Blanco narrates historical facts in the romantic style, with all the fire of his passion.
Theme:
Venezuela Heroica reflects the spirit and feelings of Venezuelans at a precise historical moment. When Eduardo Blanco published the first edition, it was just two years before the centenary of the birth of the Liberator, Simón Bolívar. The work calls for a reassessment of Bolívar’s vast accomplishments and feats. The young men of that generation, who had heard the narrative of his prodigious feats from those who had witnessed them, felt the need for someone to translate these elevated feelings into a work of art. This is what Eduardo Blanco set out to achieve.
Characters:
The Liberator Simón Bolívar, José Félix Ribas, General Mariano Montilla, Rivas-Davila, Soublette, Ayala, Adrian White, Mace, Canelón juice, Boves, Golf, Elias Morales, Araure, Vigirima, D’Eluyar, and Urdaneta.
Gaucho Poetry
Gaucho poetry is a South American subgenre that attempts to recreate the language of the gauchos and narrate their customs. The stories in this genre take place in open, rural spaces, highlighting the local culture. Although these texts center on the gaucho lifestyle, they are often written by authors of high socioeconomic status.
Summary of *Martin Fierro*
Martín Fierro, a gaucho, yearns for the happy life he once had on the pampas. The poem does not begin with the grand Homeric verse “Sing, muse, the wrath of Achilles…” but with a true bard of the people lamenting his woes: “Here I sing / to the beat of the Vigüela…” In song II, the romantic story of the poem begins, specifically in the fourth stanza: the countryside is the gaucho’s home, “the border,” “the land of Indians.”
In Canto III, we witness the miserable life our protagonist suffers in his new post. The war with the Indians is fraught with untold dangers, to the point that the gaucho decides to flee (Cantos IV and V). The continuing flight will last three years, strewn with countless hardships. Poor and naked, he returns to his ranch, which has been destroyed, and he is forced to take refuge in a cave.
The hardships are not over: in Canto VII, Fierro faces persecution for being considered lazy. He then rebels and becomes a “bad” gaucho, frequenting “grocery stores,” getting drunk, and, in a fight, killing a black man. In Canto VIII, the police pursue him. Exhausted but valiant, he fights to exhaustion, earning the admiration of Police Sergeant Cruz. In Canto IX, Cruz listens carefully and, pitying him, tells him his story. Both, being kindred spirits, decide to go to the land of the Indians. This leads to Canto XIII, which ends the first half. Hernandez, through his protagonist, announces he will “break the guitar so as not to re-tune it.” The last stanza contains all the socio-political protest and denunciation: “…which I referred in my anxiety / evils that everyone knows / but that nobody had [mentioned before].”