"Qué lejos corre la ruta"la poética del viaje en la obra de gabriela mistral

Abstract

This PhD thesis aims to study travel as the main element and structuring theme of the work and life of the Chilean writer Gabriela Mistral. The main hypothesis is that travelling in Mistral's poetry is a recurring topic and constitutes a fundamental factor in the construction of the poetic self and the authorial self, also noticeable in her prose. This has been proved by tracing the representations and manifestations of the journey, both physical and symbolic, through a corpus composed of the author's poetical writings and a selection of her most relevant prosaic work. The concept of identity, intrinsically related to the main theme, has also been studied. Regarding this, the thesis establishes how the author constructs her poetic self in a marginal position. To further prove this point, the influence that her constant travels and her nomadic way of life had on her work has been analyzed, emphasizing the way in which traveling, exile and the absence of a home endows a dislocation poetics. Finally, the symbology of space in Mistral's poetry (that is, the symbolism, motifs and recurring images in her verses linked to our main themes, journey and identity) has been adressed. In closing, the numerous trips and motions that took place throughout Mistral’s life are codified in her texts through the inscription of a scattered subject. This is clearly noticeable in her mature poetry which exhibits a splitting of the poetic voice into multiple voices or personas. Said multiplicity of voices suggests the expression of a complex and fragmented identity, shaped in full transit as a direct outcome of her numerous journeys and the absence of a permanent home.