Library of Rassegna iberistica

Las esferas de la enfermedad

El capital como epidemia en el fantástico proto-global de Diego Muzzio

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Abstract

This essay analyzes how yellow fever and other diseases are represented in Diego Muzzio’s fantastical work, Las esferas invisibles (2015). The essay situates the text within contemporary Hispanic American literature by considering the fantastical genre and illness narratives. Focusing on the first novella, “El intercesor”, the study demonstrates how the “demon of the salt flat” – portrayed as the primordial evil spirit of capitalism – is depicted as an epidemic disease. The analysis reveals how Muzzio’s work anticipates the “fantastic of globalization”, employing classic nineteenth-century Gothic tropes to explore the origins of extractive capitalism in Argentina and its monstrous, contagious nature.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: July 2, 2025 | Accepted: July 7, 2025 | Published Sept. 9, 2025 | Language: es

Keywords Diego Muzzio • Illness • Fantastic • Capitalism • Globalization

Copyright © 2025 Francesco Fasano. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-939-9/003


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