Unmasking and Dissolution of the Binary Narrative: The Rewriting of Esteban Echeverría’s "La cautiva" and "El matadero" in Contemporary Theatre

Abstract

Contemporary dramaturgy which rewrites Echeverría establishes a dialogue with the binary narrative of civilization/barbarism implicit in the worldview of the literate youth from the Rio de la Plata in the 19th Century. In the case of Las cautivas, Mariano Tenconi Blanco narrates a love story between two women who represent and expose such polarity, not only the one of civilization/barbarism, but also the gender one. On the other hand, in the play of Martínez Bel and Finamore Olvidate del Matadero, the character who plays the main role -a servant from Don Esteban's ranch- witnesses the opening of the slaughterhouse to the town after a great flood. The story questions the civilization/barbarism dichotomy suggested in Echeverría's work, and the new narrator’s experiential knowledge is legitimized as popular culture.