Colonial literature: unity in the diversity of its writings The "Black Hole" in the Ecuadorian Literary Field

Abstract

This study proposes that the limited knowledge of colonial-era literature has functioned within the Ecuadorian literary field much like a black hole in cosmic space. Therefore, the aim is to examine why, in the context of the globalized 21st century, literary archaeology—dedicated to uncovering the country’s largely unknown colonial writings—remains a relevant and necessary pursuit. The inquiry begins with an analysis of the cultural and literary conditions of the colonial period, as well as the characteristics of contemporary literature. The black hole, as a metaphor for understanding the impact that disinterest in colonial literature has had up to the present, also allows us to sense the need to reconsider the guidelines for its study from a perspective that embraces the literary and cultural diversity of these "forgotten" texts. Against this backdrop, the concept of literary archaeology emerges as a research field designed to offer new conceptual and methodological tools. These tools facilitate a reflective reassessment of the interactions among agents in the Ecuadorian literary field, and invigorate cultural memory. By continuing to interweave texts from different periods, spaces, and genres, the obscured regions of literary black holes become light, challenging the perception of colonial literature as a bygone and disconnected past, and instead recognizing its enduring relevance to the present.