Między utopią a dystopią: romantyczna wizja przestrzeni symbolicznej w Panu Tadeuszu Adama Mickiewicza i La cautiva Estebana Echeverríi w świetle geopoetyki

Abstract

This article compares the representations of symbolic space in Adam Mickiewicz’s Master Thaddeus and Esteban Echeverría’s La cautiva through the lens of geopoetics. The analysis demonstrates that in both works, space functions not merely as the setting of the narrative but, more importantly as a medium through which national ideals and aesthetic values are articulated. In Mickiewicz’s epic poem, space assumes an Arcadian and integrative character, evoking a lost social order and expressing the spiritual cohesion of the national community. In contrast, Echeverría’s desert landscape emerges as a space of conflict, violence, and barbarism, reflecting the tensions surrounding the formation of Argentine national identity. By adopting a geopoetic perspective, the article reveals how Romantic literature transforms space into a repository of historical and cultural experience, while simultaneously employing it as a means of imagining and expressing national identity.