Entre catarsis y religación: Una relectura de la obra lírica de Silvina Ocampo

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce us to an almost unknown facet of Silvina Ocampo's work, that of her bond with the religious in her lyrical work, where the author exhibits a reverent approach and an almost devout treatment of religious figures as well as of virtue, sin and guilt, which will be analysed on the basis of Paul Ricoeur's concepts. By contrast, in her narrative, the moral sphere appears to be indifferent to her and the religious sphere is often approached from a transgressive, ironic or even profane perspective. The relationship of Silvina Ocampo's work with the religious has been analysed from her dimension as a transgressive writer, taking into account only her narrative or erroneously including her poetry in this interpretation. However, ignoring the religious dimension or extrapolating the readings of her narrative on this subject to her poetry leads to a reductionism of her work and mutilates the interesting philosophical and spiritual side of this multifaceted Argentinean writer, which this work attempts to bring to light. Likewise, the reception of the Holy Scriptures –in her poetry will be analysed, whose figures, with a long literary tradition, act as a vehicle for existential and philosophical enquiries–. The analysis of the religious in her poetry opens up, from an intratextual approach, new perspectives on polemical themes in her narrative, such as rape, childhood and the feminine figure.

Key words: Silvina Ocampo, religion, Bible, guilt, poetry