Summary: | The following article attempts to outline the contours of the apocalyptic imagination as reflected in the American literature of the XX and XXI centuries, based on the results of a recent research project (co-edited by Ilse Logie, Paul Decock and Geneviève Fabry Los imaginarios apocalípticos en la literatura hispanoamericana contemporánea, Peter Lang, 2010). The exploration in multiple texts and traditions confirms the heterogeneity ofthe image of ‘the’ apocalyptic. The Biblical apocalyptic genre (more specifically highlighting mythemes of Saint John’s Revelation) and its allegorical reading have been identified as the main source of Western imagery of the same name, but what is left of it in contemporary Spanish American literary versions? The article tackles this question: it distinguishes between four types of re-figuration of apocalyptic myth, discussing some examples for each category.
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