7.5 “La noche boca arriba” – Julio Cortázar

3 min read•january 30, 2023

Riya Patel

AP Spanish Literature 💃🏽

24 resources

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Background of Julio Cortázar

Julio Cortázar was a Argentine writer and translator born in 1914 in Belgium and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was a key figure of the Latin American literary movement known as the "Boom" and is considered one of the most innovative writers of the 20th century. He wrote short stories, novels, essays and poems, and is best known for his avant-garde and experimental works that challenge traditional narrative forms. Cortázar died in Paris in 1984.

Overview of “La noche boca arriba”

"La noche boca arriba" is a short story by Julio Cortázar, first published in Spanish in the collection "Bestiario" in 1951. It is one of Cortázar's early works and is considered a classic of Latin American literature. The story is set in Buenos Aires and follows a man who is lying on his back in a park, contemplating the sky at night. The protagonist's perspective shifts and he begins to see objects and people around him in a different, surreal way, leading to an existential crisis. The story is known for its innovative narrative techniques, such as multiple perspectives and a shifting reality, and its exploration of themes such as life, death, and the human condition.

Themes and Motifs

Several themes and motifs are explored, including:

Existential crisis: The protagonist's experience in the park leads to a questioning of his place in the world and the meaning of life.
Perception and reality: The story explores the relationship between what is seen and what is real, as the protagonist's perspective shifts and the objects and people around him become distorted.
Death: The story includes elements of death, such as the dead leaves and the dead bird, that suggest the protagonist's own mortality.
Nature: The setting of the park at night, with its sky and stars, serves as a backdrop to the protagonist's existential crisis and underscores the connection between humans and the natural world.
Time: The protagonist experiences a shifting sense of time as his perceptions change, suggesting that time is a relative and subjective concept.

Literary Devices and Techniques

"La noche boca arriba" employs several literary devices and techniques, including:

Stream of consciousness: The protagonist's thoughts and perceptions are expressed in a continuous, unstructured manner, creating a sense of intimacy with the reader.
Multiple perspectives: The story alternates between the protagonist's perspective and the perspectives of objects and people around him, creating a shifting reality.
Fragmented narrative: The story is told in a fragmented, non-linear fashion, which contributes to its dreamlike quality and challenges traditional narrative forms.
Surrealism: The story includes elements of surrealism, such as the distorted perception of reality, to create a sense of disorientation and confusion in the reader.
Symbolism: The setting of the park at night, the dead leaves, and the dead bird are all symbolic elements that contribute to the story's themes of life, death, and the human condition.
Use of the sky: The protagonist's gaze toward the sky serves as a recurring motif throughout the story, symbolizing his existential search for meaning and connection to the world around him.

These devices and techniques contribute to the unique, avant-garde style of Cortázar's writing, and help create an immersive and thought-provoking reading experience for the reader.

Impact of the Text

"La noche boca arriba" has had a significant impact on Latin American literature and has been widely recognized as a classic of the genre. As one of Julio Cortázar's early works, it helped to establish his reputation as a groundbreaking and innovative writer. The story's avant-garde style and experimental narrative techniques have inspired other writers and have contributed to the development of Latin American literary movements such as the "Boom."

The story's exploration of themes such as perception, reality, and the human condition has also had a lasting impact, as it challenges traditional notions of storytelling and engages the reader in a thought-provoking experience. The use of surreal elements and fragmented narrative adds to the story's impact and has helped to shape the way that contemporary literature is written and perceived.

"La noche boca arriba" continues to be widely read and studied, and its impact on the literary world is a testament to Cortázar's legacy as one of the most important writers of the 20th century.

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