Humanism in Suso de Toro's A sombra cazadora

Abstract

[Resumo] Este traballo examina A sombra cazadora (1994) de Suso de Toro como reformulación postmoderna do humanismo renacentista. Dende un punto de vista bakhtiniano, de Toro articula o motivo da viaxe épica mediante unha epistemoloxía humanista que combina preocupacións ecolóxicas co enigma metafísico do sobrenatural. A sociedade distópica retratada por Suso de Toro é desprazada por unha xeografía humanista simbolizada polo retorno á antropoloxía da natureza e o feminino. Outro compoñente humanista de A sombra cazadora é o uso de mitos clásicos (a caverna platónica, o labirinto de Creta) para dar conta da alienación emocional do suxeito contemporáneo. Deste modo, A sombra cazadora restaura nun escenario (post)moderno e apocalíptico valores típicamente humanistas como a tolerancia, a xenerosidade, o traballo social e a dignidade persoal.

[Abstract] This paper examines Suso de Toro’s A sombra cazadora (1994) as a postmodern update of Renaissance humanism. From a Bakhtinian perspective, in de Toro’s narrative the epic quest for a lost paradise —an ideal past represented by the dead mother— is conveyed through a environmental and supernatural discourse which channels the epistemological primacy of A sombra cazadora: a humanist approach to life and existence. De Toro’s dystopian society is eventually subverted by an epic return to the aforementioned mythical paradise, envisioned as a humanist and rural geography represented by Nature, the image of the mother, and the nurturing of the body. Another humanist trace in A sombra cazadora is the use of classical sources and myths (Plato’s allegory of the cave and the Cretan labyrinth) to account for the emotional isolation caused by the overwhelming rule of mass media in postmodern societies. At the end of the novel, all these elements work together to restore core humanist ideals such as tolerance, dignity, optimism, generosity, positive relationships, cooperation, and a sense of community.