Gaucho literature
Gaucho literature, a genre that developed in the late 19th century in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil, centers on the life and experiences of the gaucho, the horse-riding cowboys of the Pampas grasslands. Predominantly expressed through poetry, this body of work gives voice to the gaucho's struggles, customs, and identity, often portraying themes of justice, poverty, and friendship. Despite its roots in the rural lifestyle of gauchos, much of gaucho literature was penned by urban writers who sought to articulate the gaucho’s way of life, leading to a distinction between authentic gaucho narratives and gauchesco literature, which was created by city dwellers. The genre was initially marginalized within the broader landscape of Argentine literature but gained recognition in the 20th century for its cultural significance and artistic merit. Iconic works, such as José Hernández's "El Gaucho Martín Fierro," highlight the social injustices faced by gauchos, while also celebrating their contributions to national identity. This literature not only reflects the rugged individualism of the gaucho but also serves as a critique of societal changes and modernization. Today, gaucho literature remains a vital part of Argentina's literary heritage, continuing to resonate with readers and scholars alike.
Gaucho literature
Gaucho literature a genre that emerged in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil in the 1870s. Focused on the life of the "gaucho" or cowboys of the Pampas grasslands, it mostly took the form of poems, although some gaucho novels were written as well. The protagonist of this type of literature is the horse-riding gaucho, and the writing seeks to make the reader sympathetic of his cause.
Gaucho literature was developed on the fringe of Argentine literature, and its writers were considered rebels. It was not until the twentieth century that this genre started receiving literary merit. Most gaucho writers were urban dwellers who told the story of the rural gaucho. However, a distinction has been made between gaucho literature (stories told directly by gauchos themselves) and gauchesco literature (stories told by urban dwellers on behalf of gauchos).
Brief history
Gaucho literature, also known as gauchesca literature, is a literary genre that originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and thrived from the 1870s to the 1920s in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. After that, the movement largely died out. Gauchos were horse-riding mestizos who lived in the Pampas grasslands region of these countries from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. This population developed its own customs, including dressing uniquely, living a marginalized life that favored themes of courage and revenge, and recounting their adventures through ballads. The myth and folklore of gauchos are incredibly important to Argentina's national identity.
The protagonist of gaucho literature is characteristically a horse-riding peasant with no specific occupation. The works are set in the Pampas, and reproduce the gaucho dialect, including archaic phrases rich in unique comparisons and metaphors. The stories are graphic and humorous, and themes are generally limited to injustice, poverty, the fight against the establishment, home life, horses, and friendship. Gaucho literature reveals the gaucho's way of life and philosophy, and the stories were designed to make the reader sympathetic to his cause.
Gaucho literature was created on the fringes of other Argentine literature and existed as a parallel literary genre. Its authors were often considered rebels, challenging the established cultured literary scene, which focused on a European-centric view. Gaucho literature, which brought focus back to South American land for inspiration and subject matter, was seen as marginal literature until its artistic worth was recognized in the first part of the twentieth century. Although it did not receive early praise for its literary merit, gaucho literature was dominated by sophisticated, urban authors.
The Gaucho Way of Life
The Gaucho Way of Life
Under Spanish rule, Argentina and Uruguay were undivided. Throughout their grasslands, or pampas, roamed many wild horses and cattle that had descended from those brought by early European settlers. These animals were a source of wealth and gave rise to the need for gauchos, who made a living hunting wild cattle for their hides or driving them into estancias (similar to ranches) to be branded and tamed. These hunts were conducted as huge expeditions, with about one thousand saddled horses and many two-wheeled carts. When the gauchos encountered a herd of cattle, they crippled as many as possible by severing the hamstring muscles with a long knife, a practice called "hamstringing." Twenty gauchos could incapacitate more than seven hundred animals in an hour. After a break, the gauchos slit the animals’ throats and skinned them. The meat was largely left behind for vultures and wild dogs. Gauchos might continue doing this for days or weeks, herding cattle during the day and sipping maté (tea made of Ilex leaves) at night. Sometimes they would meet at taverns called pulperías. At these pulperías, gauchos drank, gambled, fought, and engaged in musical competitions called payadas. Most gauchos were mestizos, or of mixed race. They traveled with Spanish criminals, deserters, and adventurers, subsisting on meat and mate and using their saddle as a pillow and their poncho as a blanket. People likely feared gauchos because of their unkept appearance. Their faces were unshaved, and they used brow bands to keep their long hair out of their eyes. They wore their shirts open at the throat with a handkerchief knotted around their neck.
As the Pampas lands were still under Spanish colonial rule, Spain would not permit trading the skins with any country other than the mother land. This resulted in having to ship the skins through the Andes and up the Pacific Coast through Panama before they were loaded onto ships destined for Spain. The country also made it difficult for gauchos to spend their profits on desirable European goods. Because of these restrictions, many smuggled their hides onto British and Dutch ships in exchange for European goods. As a result, the gaucho lifestyle was almost necessarily one of lawbreaking.
Gauchos and Cowboys
Fans of the American Western genre and of the central role of the Cowboy figure can resonate with Gaucho imagery. Gauchos and Cowboys hold identical places in the symbology and mystique of their respective countries. Like the Gaucho, the Cowboy is a rugged figure of individualism and a person free from the lures and corruption of society. Cowboys and Gauchos symbolize freedom of movement, personal merit, and those who live by a rough code of honor. Both emphasize the natural outdoor beauty of an untamed frontier environment and harken back to a simpler and more honorable era. Not least, both offer prototypes of national masculinity, which oftentimes can be misapplied or misappropriated.
Gauchos in Literature
Some of Argentina's most important literary works are in the gaucho genre. For example, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism (1845) established how Argentina should see itself in relation to Europe. This book was the first Latin American classic and the most important written by a Latin American, according to scholar Roberto Gonzalez Echevarría. The book features endearing descriptions of the Pampas and its gauchos. At the end of the work is the most compelling description of the gaucho ever written. However, critics contend that the work pinpoints the gaucho as the main culprit of the cultural backwardness that hindered the country's development at that time.
The gaucho movement rose as writers in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil developed an understanding of their national identities. José Hernández was an important poet in the gaucho literary tradition. He wrote the ballad "El Gaucho Martín Fierro" (1872) and its sequel, "El Regreso de Martín Fierro" (1879). The latter is a protest poem centered on a gaucho who was forced to give up his freedom and individuality as social changes swept through the Pampas. Hernández wrote the poem to alert the government and those in the city about the problems faced by gauchos who were forced to adapt to a new and unfamiliar culture imposed by the government after the fall of dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas in 1852. The poem also highlighted the gaucho's historical contribution to Argentina's development, including their role in winning the country's independence from Spain.
"El Regreso de Martín Fierro" is told in voices. The first, Martin Fierro, is a payador (gaucho singer who would improvise lyrics and play guitar). The central voice of the poem, Fierro, makes it clear that he will not be silenced. He issues a singing challenge to the other payadors and sings of his sufferings and better times when gauchos were always happy and ready to work. The poem has been translated into nineteen languages.
Other great writers in this genre include Estanislao del Campo, Hilario Ascasubi, Jorge Luis Borges, Adolfo Bioy Casares, Estanislao del Campo, Bartolomé Hidalgo, Alberto Gerchunoff, Leopoldo Lugones, and Rafael Obligado, whose 1887 poems told the tale of legendary gaucho minstrel Santos Vega. While most of the influential works in the gaucho genre are poems, some are novels such as Eduardo Gutiérrez's Juan Moreira(1880), Ricardo Güiraldes' Don Segundo Sombra (1926), and Benito Lynch's El Romance del Gaucho (1930).
Jorge Luis Borges differentiated gaucho literature from gauchesco, with the latter being an adulterated version that was created by a city dweller on behalf of gauchos. Most of the literature written by city authors such as Sarmiento, Hernández, Lugones, and Borges engaged in the national debate about modernization. They viewed gauchos as a hurdle to this modernization, yet also considered them as being iconic to the identity of Argentina.
The origin of gaucho-like characters goes back to epics such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, which founded a genre that merges music, theater, and poetry. Like gaucho stories, the protagonists are brave individuals and heroes willing to fight. Gaucho works continue to be read and studied in the twenty-first century as an important part of Argentine history.
Bibliography
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