The conquest and colonisation of America in Cadalso: between patriotism and enlightenment

Authors

  • Francisco Castilla Urbano

Keywords:

José Cadalso, American conquest, colonialism, Enlightenment, epistolary method

Abstract

This article deals with three aspects of the work of José Cadalso: his statements on the conquest of the New World by the Spaniards, which do not always coincide ideologically; 2) the study of the relationship between the Europe of the Enlightenment and America, that reveal the hidden face of eighteenth-century colonialism; 3) the objective intentions and the subjective reasons that underlie his texts about the American and seem to show a conflict between his patriotism and the enlightened values with which he identified. By linking together these three themes not only the argumentative complexity and intellectual interests of Cadalso’s thought are revealed but also the explanatory advantages of his «epistolary method», which gives reflection the appearance of novelty.

Issue

Section

ARTICLES