IN THE BEGINNING WAS MUTENESS: ORIDES FONTELA AND THE TOPIC OF ORIGIN

Abstract

This article seeks to investigate the theme of origin in the poetry of Orides Fontela, based on the analysis of a series of poems that demonstrate the relevance of the topic to her poetic work, which focuses on the constant metamorphosis of beings, but also, as we intend to demonstrate, on the beginning. Through symbolic endeavors, and sometimes resorting to mythical discourse, the author attests to the unknowable nature of origin, whether of the world, of natural phenomena, or of poetry itself, making the beginning of things a mystery with which her poetry grapples. It is, therefore, a theme that dialogues with other aspects of Orides' poetry, such as the observation of living beings and the reflection on poetic creation itself. Thus, the research carried out here contemplates both the perspective of a poetics of nature, weaving relations with the thought of Arthur Schopenhauer, and the metapoetic angle, in order to unravel the possible meanings given by Orides' lyrics to the theme under discussion, which is also related to its philosophical inclination, already addressed by the author's critical fortune.