Hopscotch (Julio Cortázar novel)
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| Author | Julio Cortázar |
|---|---|
| Original title | Rayuela |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
| Genre(s) | Episodic novel |
| Publisher | Editorial Sudamericana, Argentina |
| Released | 1963 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | NA |
Hopscotch the 1963 novel (translated from the Spanish Rayuela), is the most famous novel by the Argentine writer Julio Cortázar.
Hopscotch is a dazzling literary experiment that ranks among the most important novels written in Spanish in the 20th century. It has been highly praised by other Latin American writers including Gabriel García Márquez, Mario Vargas Llosa or José Lezama Lima. The novel, which loosely recounts the story of Argentine expatriate Horacio Oliveira's exile in Paris and his subsequent return to Buenos Aires, has an open-ended structure that invites the reader to choose between a linear reading or a non-linear one that interpolates additional chapters. Cortázar's employment of interior monologue, punning, slang, and his use of different languages is reminiscent of Modernist writers like Joyce, although his main influences were Surrealism and the French New Novel, as well as the "riffing" aesthetic of jazz.
Contents |
[edit] Structure
Written in an episodic, snapshot manner, the novel has 155 chapters, the last 99 being designated as "expendable." The book can be read either in direct sequence from chapter 1 to 56 or by hopscotching through the entire set of 155 chapters-excepting chapter 55-according to a table provided by the author that leaves the reader, finally, in an infinite loop between the last two chapters in the sequence. Some of the "expendable" chapters fill in gaps in the main story, while others add information about the characters or record the aesthetic and literary speculations of a writer named Morelli (possibly a stand-in for the author) who makes a brief appearance in the narrative.
[edit] Plot introduction
The book relates episodes from the life of Horacio Oliveira, an Argentine expatriate. In the first half of the story, he lives in Paris with his Uruguayan girlfriend, "La Maga," and Rocamadour, her baby. After Rocamadour dies and La Maga disappears, Oliveira returns to Buenos Aires, where he meets an old friend known as "Traveler" and Traveler's wife, Talita, whom he eventually comes to believe (or affect to believe) is La Maga.
[edit] Characters in "Hopscotch"
The main character, Horacio Oliveira, is a well-read and loquacious bohemian. He is a spectator and spends most of his time philosophizing. At first it seems Horacio is content to merely exist but really he is desperately searching for a purpose to his life.
For lack of an alternative, La Maga becomes Horacio's life-purpose. She is a beguiling, profound, and improvisational woman. La Maga develops into a muse and a lense for Horacio--inspiring him to examine himself and Paris more thoroughly. She is a point of origin for Horacio and the novel itself.
When Horacio returns to Argentina he is greeted by his old friend Traveler. Traveler holds a steady job and is happily married. He has chosen to participate in society where Horacio feels contempt. Though friends, Traveler and Horacio are foils. Horacio even refers to Traveler as his "doppelganger."
Other major characters include Talita and Ossip.
[edit] Major themes
Order vs. Chaos. Horacio says of himself, "I imposed the false order that hides the chaos, pretending that I was dedicated to a profound existence while all the time it was the one that barely dipped its toe into the terrible waters" (end of Chapter 21). Horacio's life follows this description as he switches countries, jobs, and lovers. The novel also attempts to resemble order while ultimately consisting of chaos. The book possesses a beginning and an end but traveling from one to the other seems to be a practically random process. Horacio's fate is just as vague to the reader as it is to Horacio himself. The same idea is perfectly expressed in improvisational jazz. Over several measures, melodies are randomly constructed by following loose musical rules. Cortázar does the same by using a loose form of prose, rich in metaphor and slang, to describe life.
Isolation and loneliness are two other major themes of Hopscotch. Cortázar uses a quick, succinct, vignette chapter style that paints brief images for the reader without relying too much on plot. At one point in the novel Horacio witnesses a car accident. It is said of the victim that "he doesn't have any family, he's a writer." Horacio is stunned by the way violence brings the community together. Medics rush to the scene in an ambulance and speak "friendly, comforting words to him." Violence and conflict continually bring characters together in "Hopscotch." For instance, Talita's crossing of the bridge and Horacio's stunt at the conclusion of the novel.
Short chapters also express the idea that there is no penetrating purpose to the novel and life in general. For Horacio, life is a series of artistic flashes where he perceives the world in a profound way but still remains unable to create anything of value.
Other major themes include: obsession, madness, life-as-a-circus, the nature and meaning of sex, and self-knowledge.
[edit] Awards and Nominations
- The English translation Hopscotch by Gregory Rabassa won the 1967 U.S. National Book Award.
