American historiographic metafiction and European tradition: the case of Marlowe´s the memoirs of Christopher Columbus

R 'l'isw de Es udios No eame i nnos. 11.ª 7 (2000). pp. 103 -113 AMERICAN HISTORIOGRAPHIC METAFICTION AND EUROPEAN TRADITION: THE CASE OF MARLOWE'S THE MEMOIRS OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS * FRANCISCO COLLADO RODRÍGUEZ Uni e sidad de Za agoza T adi ionally his o y and he no el haw been nmning along pa allel pa hs. a ac ha has usually huppcned ou o shee neccssi y bccausc his o ical csea ch co nmonly mani es ed i sel in nan« il'l' hislo iog aphy and no eis equen ly p esen ed s o ies ha ook place in se ings -and imes- ha can be quali ied as bcing «h i s o ical.» Dcspi e he cmphas is adi ional his o iog apbe s pu on hc jlc imwl compone n! o he no el o di e en ia e i om hei own mo e ai lz 11/ epo s o pas e en s. in la e yea s co n cmpo a y c i i cs ha e been highligh ing mo e he coincidences han he di e ences be ween hcs e wo cul u al mani cs a ions (c LaCap a 1985: 115-34), a shi h a somehow has also coincided wi h a e i a] o his o ical issues in no els w i en in hc 1980s in many pa s o he Wes e n wo ld. ln a su ey o he l alian ic ion published in h is ecen pe iod. Michael Caesa poin s ou he impo ancc ha his o y has again acqui ed in hc ic ion o his co un y and o e s as p oo o i well-known i ics su ch as Umb e o Eco 's The Nmne o he Rose (1983) o Robe o Paai's La P incipessa e il d ago (1986). Bu Caesa also a n ms ha in his new e i a] o his o ical ic ion « lhe cade is nol allowed o ake he au hen ici y and au ho i y o he his o ical ma e ial o g an ed» ( 1991: 85). a ea u e ha somchow seems o con as wi h he olde his o ical no el. As he eadc may know. simila cha ac e is ics also appca in he con empo a y Spanish no el. To such a * The ~sca ch ca icd ou o lhc w i1 111g u hís pape ha~ becn inanccd by he Spanhh Minís y o Educa ínn <DGICYT: P og nma Scc1 o ial de P omoción Gene al dd Co n ocim icn 10 . PS94 - 0057 a nd PB97 -1022). 104 F ancisco Collado Rod ígue z deg ee Spanis h eade s seem o be in e cs ed in his o ical issues ha e en he powe ul publishing house Edi o ial Plane a s a ed so ne yea s ago a se ies en i led «Memo ia de la His o ia» whe e, as happens in he case o I aly, he hi s o ical ma e ial canno be aken o g an cd: wha seems o be peculia in he s o ies published so a in his se ies is he ac ha many o hem a e accoun s o h e li es o amou s his o ical pc sonages wi h hei own -newly in en cd- oices nan-a ing hci old deeds and glo ies, a cha ac e is ic o o e ic ionali y dealing wi h his o ical issues ha may also be e cognized in o hc bes -selling con empo a y no els anging om To en e Balles e 's El Re y Pasmado (1989) o Pé ez-Re e e's La Tabla de Flandes (1990) o El Club Dumas ( 1993 ). ' This peculia combina ion o ic ion and his o icis e sea ch can also be ecognized in ecen B i ish no els, especially sincc he l 980s. Cases such as Pe e Ack oyd's Hawksmoo ( 1985), Cha les Pal!ise 's The Quincunx (1989). o Law ence Du ell 's The A ignon Q11in e (1974-85) ha e bccome h e cen e o a en ion also among Spanish c i ics (Onega 1992, Plo 1992) p ecisely because hesc no els o e ly expuse his mix u e o ic ionali y and his o ici y abo e mcn ioned. a combina ion usually enhanccd by na a o ia] sel -consciousness ha had al eady becn pe cei ed by Linda Hu cheon in h e book A Poe ics o Pos mode nísm ( 1988), whe e she used he by now well-known ph ase o «his o iog aphic me a ic ion» o e e o a g oup o popula . cccn «no els which a e bo h in ensely sel - eílexi e and yc pa adoxically also lay claim o lús o ical e en s and pe sonages» (Hu cheon 1988: 5). Al eady in his book Hu cheon sugges ed be pos s uc u alis undc pinnings exis ing in hi s pa ic ula ype o no els, being «na a i e ep es en a ion» he key no ion o unde s and no only he simila i ics cxis ing be ween hc no el ami his o iog aphy bu also he meaos o undenninc hc imp ession o au hen ici y appa en in scien ijic his o iog aphic analysis. One yca. la c , in The Poli ics o Pos mode nism Hu cheon ex ended he s udy o o h e pos mode nis mani 'es a íons bu insis ing again on he socially sub e si e capaci y ha seems o exis in he books ha she has quali ied as «his o iog aphic me a ic ion.» ln ou con empo a y socie y he e is a cul u al ension -Hu cheon sugges s in The Poli ics o Pos mode nism-be ween adi ional humanis alues and he mos ecen heo ies o cul u al analysis. Thc cqui alen on he li e a y scenc has been lhe hos ile esponse o so ne c i- ics o he mixing o his o ical and ic i e ep esen a ion in his o iog aphic me a ic ion. T is no ha he ac o he mi xing is new: he his o ical no el, no o men ion he epic, should ha e habi ua ed eade s o ha . The p oblem seems o eside in i s manne , in he sel -consciousness o he ic ionali y, he lack o he amilia p e ense o anspa ency, and he calling in o ques ion o he ac ual g ounding o his 01y-w i ing. The sel - e 1cxi i y o pos modem ic ion does indeed o eg ound many o he usually unacknowledged and na u alized impli- ca ions o na a i e ep esen a ion. ( 1989: 35) J. I ha e dcall wi h his issue in mo e dc ail in Collado 1997 and l 998. Ame ican His o iog aphic Me a ic ion and Eu opean T adi i011 105 In 1991, being al eady a well -es ablished c i ic, Hu cheon u he ed h e analysis on his ype o ic ional na a i e ha calls in o ques ion « he ac ual g ounding o his o y-w i ing» ea inning i s -in en ional o unin en ional?- a ack on humanis alues and i s o eg ounding o he ideological componen ha media es all human discu si e p ac ices. Howe e , his ime -pa anoia o ex ual mis ake?- she ex ended he concep o «his o iog aphic me a ic ion» o i ually ali pos mode n ic íon (1991: 106). Ce ainly, his o ical issues we e becoming impo an in so ne o he ic ions w i cn in English i we a e o belie e Hu cheon, and ce ainly she was no alone when a i ming he i npo11an ole played by ideology in con empo a y his o iog aphic s udies. I is al eady a well-known acl ha he 1960s signaled a p o ound dis espec o he dominan! capi alis alues o he i me , a dis espec ha became clea ly mani es ed in a numbe o ema kable e en s such as he uni e si y e ol s in he USA, espccially in Be keley, o in simila c ol s in F ance, and in he hipp ies' mo emen . Bu he 1960s also signaled lhe beginning o pos s uc u alis he01ies ha soon ei hc suxges ed he ideological as insepa able om ali discu si e hum an p ac ices (Be ge and Luckmann 1966) o clea ly poin ed i ou (De ida 1967 a. l 967b ). The i heo e ical no ions o igina ed wi hin a social con ex cha ac e ized by he a ack agains adi ional idcological alues o , mo e speci ically, agains he exis en mas e nami i es ha ha e con olled ou pe cep ion and unde s anding o e ali ly o se e al hund ed yea s (scc Lyo a d 1984 ). This cul u al e olu ion, cu en ly mani es ed in he g adual impo ance o class, gende , and mee issues. also ca ne o he g ounds o his o iog aphy e cn i i s a i al was no so quick as one could ha e expec ed. Following he adical obse a ions o young De ida. which he p esen cd o hc Ame ican public in he Johns Hopkins symposium «The Languages o C i icism and he Sciences o Man» (O c obe 1966). ca ne h e de elopmen o Ame ican Decons uc ion and he p og essi e collapse o S uc u alism wilh he subsequen eme gence o a pos -s uc u alis assaul on adi ional discu si e mani es a ions. Howe c , in he i s dccons uc i e s udies (pe haps bes ep esen ed in he ac i i ies o he Yale School o C i icism) «His o y» was s ill de e ed asan objec o analysis. Th e i s decons uc i e c i ics did no pay much a enlion o he hislo ical c c en , bu a ew yea s la e an ea ly me ahis o ical c i icism bcgan, a las , o he p oduced. His o ians and cul u al c i i cs like Hayden Whi e g adually becamc awa e ha c en hc his o iog aphe is npped inside his o he own discou se, unable o achie e unmedia ed conlac wi h an objec i e his o ical e e en . Wi h no anscending mas e codc o he w i ing o his o y, he his o ian also becomes a me ahis o ian, a w i e abou w i ing: and na a i e discou se, Wbi c a inm, a om being a neu al medium o he e p esenla ion o his o ical e en s and p ocesses. is he e y s u o a my hical iew o ealily, a concep ual o pseu- doconcep ual 'con en ' which, whcn used o ep esen eal e en s, endows hem wi h an illuso y cohe ence and cha ges hem wi h he kinds o meanings mo e cha ac e is ic o onei ic han o waking hough . ( 1987: ix) ]()6 F ancisco Collado Rod (guez Wha ollows soon a e Whi e·s Íl sl melahis o ic.:al c i i cism (1980) is a ncc.:essa y dis us o adi ional his o iog aph y. E en a sc.:hola like Michael Ryan (1982) soon ocuses upon he deslabilizing pl ay o dass di e ences hal he inds in Ma x's his o ical heo y. and designs a model o a commi ed c i icism dedica ed, as J. Fish c Solomon commen s, « o he cons an! unde mining o poli ícal and ex ual au ho i y in he name o di é ance i sel » (1988: 15). Decons uc ion ( bu al so Lac.:anian hough , as shown in lhc abo e quo c om Whi e) becomes hen, in he hands o so ne c i ics, socio-poli i ca lly commi ed: no ma e on which side one is, he human bcing canno escape discou se o so i see ms o be implied by he Ame ican New His o ian s.~ whose main conce n s ill appea s o be he cde ini ion o he canon while ques ioning he alues implicd in adi ional discou se. Con empo a y Ame ican c i icism o adi ional his o iog aphy. as s a ed abo e . seems o be e y e ec i e. bu can we say h e same o he US ic ion w i en in h e l 980s and ca ly l 990s? Is he e su c.: h a hing a he ime ha we may quali y as an US pos mode nis his o ical no el -o his o iog aphic mc a ic ion- ha pa allels he esul s o eccn his o iog aphic c i ic ism and o i s Eu opcan li e a y coun c pa ? The i s imp essíon one may ha e when consul ing c i ica! books on he subjec may be a li le disappoin ing. Con a y o Hu cheon ·s -pe h aps- o e s aling a gumen s on he impo ance o h is o y in he ecen Ame ican no el ( 1991 ), c i ics like Da id Seed (1991), Tony Hil e (1992). o e en Malcolm B adhu y in h is new cdi ion o The Modem A111e ic1111 Nm·el ( 1992) pay no a en ion wha soe e o a possihle ela ions hip be ween hi s o y and he no el. Bu his i s imp ession will soon be dispelled when one considc s so ne o h e essays on con cmpo a y Ame i ca n ic ion such as Heinz Jcks ad "s «Plo ing o Wha En d'? Doc o ow. Coo e . and he ln en ion o His o y» ( 1991) o Molly Hi e· s con ibu i on o The Co/11111hia Hi . l o y o he Ame ican No el ( 1991 ). whc c she asse s he exis ence o Ame ican no e Is lhal a e a he cen e o he pos mode n canon bu ha a e also undamen ally conc.:e ned «wi h he cons uc ion o ec.:en Ame ican his o y ami icleology» ( l 991: 699). Hi e ci es as examples o his ype o pos mode nis am i his o ical ic ion Vonnegu 's Slaugh e house-Fi e. Recd 's Mwnbo Jumho. Coo e 's The Puhlic Buming. Delillo's Lib a, and Pynchon's G a i y ·s Rainbm : clea ly shc sees he necessi y o lake o g an ed he - adic.:al- me a ic ional quali y o his kind o ic ion be o c labeling i as «pos mode nis .» an aspec ha also seems o p eoccupy o he c i i cs who. ne c heless, also sugges he possibili y o a «pos modemis ealism» (lcks ad 1988: 108-9), an op ion ha in an y case wo uld cla i y he s a us o some con e mpo a y his o ica l no els such as 2. The boun <la ics bc wcen Whi e's Me ahis lo y. he kind o his o ical c i icism p nc i ce<l by so ne 01hc c i i cs like Domíníck LaCap a ( 19 85, 1987). and hc Ncw Hislo ians· mc hods a e no p eciscly cl e a -cu ,as ali o hem cly un <lecon sl uclion and o he po s s uc1u al me hods o c i icism. Compa e Giles Gumú de ini ion o hc New His o icism wi h hc abli e-men ioncd icws: Thc New Hislo icism is an a emp « o unmask i<leo logical ac1 o s ha ha c in luenced hc shaping o hc canon. o decons uc he idealized opposi ions be ween innoccnce and expe icncc, machine and ga den. ci iliza ion and wilde ness. o no el and omance by which lhe canon has hccn es ablished and de ended. and o esi ua1e ex. s in he sociopoli ical and cconomic si es n hci c ea ion and ccep ion .» (1992: 163) Ame ican His o iog aphic Me ajic ion and Eumpean T adi íon 107 Doc o ow's 1/ze Book <! Daniel o Ra g i me , o Kenn edy' s Legs, books ha look li ke «pos m ode nis » e en i hei echni ca l expe imen a ion is no so o e as, !e us say, he kind o me a ic ion one may ind in no els w i en by Ba h o So en in o. I mus con ess ha in his dialec ical a gumen 1 p e e o side wi h hc ones who de ine pos modem ic ion mo e o i s coincidences wi h p os s uc u alis hinking (P is e 1989, Hu cheon 199 l) h an o he deploymen o a se o expe imen al de ices ha can also be cquenlly ound in node nis ex s. As we conside ed abo e, whc eas so ne con empo a y c i ics en hance he ela ionship be ween ic ion and his o y in h e p esen mo nen , so ne o he s simply igno e such link. Bu e cn i we a i m he impo ance o his ela ionship and a gue ha many con empo a y Ame ican no els e e o he necessi y o decons uc ing adi ional his o iog aphic iews, we canno escape he ac ha nos Ame ican no els o his kind e e o a his o ical pas h a is s ill e y clase o ou own ime. In o he wo ds, he pos mode nis - he e o e, in a sense, pos s uc u alis - his o ical no el in he USA seems o di c , in his espec . om he Eu opean ype o his o iog aphic me a ic ion ha 1 men ioned ea lie : The Name o h e Rose akes place in he Middle Ages. La Tabla de Flandes e e s o so ne e en s ha ook place in he i cen h cen u y, whe eas pai1 o he na nli e in Hawksmoo is se in eigh een h cen u y London. Why ha pa icula di e encc be ween he ic ional his o ical wo ks being w i en in bo h sides o he ocean? The answc <loes no casily come o mind: i could be sugges ed, as he c i ic John B own al eady <lid many yea s ago ( 1956). ha he Ame ican ense is. pa excellence, h e p esen ; o ha Ame icans do no ha e mue h his o y behind, con a y o wha happens in he old Eu o p ea n coun ics an d he e o e, al hough hey a e eady o use classical hemes as. o ins ance, he s o y o The Las o he Mohicans in a ilm emake, hey will no use i in a new pa odie no el. .. w ha e c he caso n he ac ema ins ha ic ion in he USA -a leas ca11011ica/ ic ion-does no e qu en ly ea u e he kind o his o iog aphic ne a ic ion oo ed in he old pas ha seems o cha ac e ize Eu opean li e a y g ounds. The e a e so ne appa en exceplions o his ule, such as Joseph Hclle 's God Knows, o Go e Vidal's Li e F om Golxo ha, bu e en hese cases can be be e unde s ood as biblical pa odies han as his o ical no els. On he o he hand, w i e s such as Reed. Doc o o w, Coo e o Kcnnedy appea o be m o e inle es ed in d awing he i his o ical exempla om ecen - a hc mos 11i11e y-yea -old-c cn s as i he Ame ican mind needed he wen ie h cen u y as a backg ound o apply pos mod e n is p ac ices. E en pos m ode m gu n Th omas Pynchon wai s ill 1997 be a e eleasing his so-long-expec cd no el on p e-Re olu iona y US, Mason & Di. on. Howe e , he e see ns o be -a leas - one genuine excep ion o h is ule: so ne o h e no els w i en by a es less Ame ican who ha s been a isi a o se e a! Eu opean coun i es o many yea s, a con empo a y Ame ican expa ia e wi h a e y ancien name o li e a y echoes, S ephen Ma lowe. Some o M a low e's no els a e his o ical na a i es and among his mos ecenl wo ks he eade n ay i nd wo long books ha also e e o he Spanish pas , The Memoi s o Ch is oph e Columbus (1987) an d The Dea h and Lije o Migu el de Ce an es (1991 ), bo h o which cou ld ba e ound a pla ce in Plan e a's se ies «Memo ia de Ja His o ia» because in bo h cases he wo amous his o ie pe sonages a e al so he na a o s o h ei espec i e li es and deeds. I is ny belie ha Ma lowe 's 108 F ancisco Collado Rod íguez no e Is ha e also a place in he con ex o Hu cheon' s his o iog aphic me a ic ion, and hal happens des pi e he ac ha hey do no «look» as ex pe i men al as o he Ame ican wo ks ha , mo eo e , a e concemed wi h mo e ecen his o ical e en s: in Ma lowe 's ic ion he eade can also ind ha appa en ealism ha co e s no hing bu an e ec i e decons uc ion o adi ional humanis alues. The w i e , as o en happens in con empo a y Ame ican ic ion oo ed in he ecen pas , also becomes, in bis ic ion. he pos s uc u alis «c i ic» ha con es s he adi ional no ions o o iginali y, uni y, cohe ence, subjec i i y, and a ionali y ha ha e become he a ge o p o essional c ilicism o he las wen y- i e yea s (Hu cheon 1991: 111). Despi e he ac ha he se s his s o ies in he imes o he Spanish li cen h cen u y and Gol den Age, Ma lowe inco po ales, in my eading, a conscious ype o decons nc i e c i icism. In o de o pu in o e ec his ype o c i icism he uses ce ain de ices ha ope a e o eloca e hi s wo ks in he con ex o he -Ame ican?- pos modem no el. Acco ding o many con empo a y c i ics, in he 1980s and ea ly 1990 s pos mode nis US ic ion and he c i ique o humanis alues wen hand in hand . Some speci ic li e a y de ices a e equen ly men ioned o enhance his c i ica] capaci y o cu en pos mode n li e a u e. Techniques such as in ini e eg ess, he b eaking o na a i e ames o le cls. he mix u e o li e a y gen es o egis e s, cha ac e s' agmen a ion. pa odie e e ences. o he use o un eliable na a o s a e all o hem elemen s equen ly e e cd o as being conunon in pos mode n ic ion (see Waugh 1984, Me Hal e 1987, S onehill 1988, o Hi e 1991 ). These echniques, ul hough mos o hem we e al eudy ope a i e in modc nis o la e mode nis imes -we may conside Bo ges ' o Flann O'B ien's ic ion -, may also p oduce a decons uc i e and an i-humanis e ec bo h in hei o e -me a ic ional-cxposi ion o he ideological cha ac e exis ing in ali ypes o human discou se and also in hei mo e sub lc e osion o discu si e o ali ::. a ion.1 Despi e h e ac ha a book like The Memoi s o Ch is ophe Columhus <loe s no ollow he cu en g ounds o US his o iog aphic me a ic ion in i s dedica ion o he Eu opean pus und in i s - o muny pages-appa cn ealism . by ea u ing he pos mode n echniqucs abo e men ioned his no el ends up being no simply a e y en e laining and highly acclaimed na a i e bu also a se ious wa ning agains human o alizing excesses. F cqucn l y, he s o y Columbus ells -his own li e- is hila ious, al hough a imes humo gi es way o agic e en s, some o which a e ai ead y pu o hc Spanish Black Legend. A sum na y o he book's s o y easily disco e s he ecu1Tence o he abo e men ioned de ices. A he beginning o his au obiog aphy, Columbus assumes hu he is a New Ch is ian whose «ma ano» amily has o lee 3. Wi h hc passing o ime e cn c i ic Haydcn Whi e secms o ha e mo e d om less adical [ al hou gh con cmpo a y J iews u discou sc as bcing simply he p oduce o mo al alues ( 1980) o a mu e pus s uc u alis s ancc ha al nm he a ll acy o he humanis bclie in a s able human subjcc : «Whal is ·imagina y· abou any na a i c c p cscn a ion is he illusi on o a cen e ed cm1sciousness capable o looking ou on hc wo ld. app ehending i s s uc u e and p ocesses, and cp esen ing hcm o i sel as ha ing ali hc o mal co he encc o na a i ily ilsel .» (W hi e 1987· 36: my em ph asis.) On hc cla cd no ion o a o a üing his o y, see LaCap a l 985: 25. C l: Sa up 1993: chap e 6. Ame ican His10 io1 aplzic Me a ic ion and Eu opean T adi ion 109 Spain - o ob ious eligious easons in Inquisi ion imes- when he is s ill in his mo he 's womb: as a esul , Columbus will be bo n in he middle o he Mcdi e anean sea, aboa d a ship ha sails o Genoa. The e o e he will be nei he Spanish no I alian: his na ionali y will be any hing bu clea -cu , his pa icula incidcn being he beginning o his poslmode n con used iden i y. Once in I aly Ch is ophe s a s a oundabou li e o a ew yea s ill he en e s he se ice o Spanish Ca dinal Bo gia, he would-be Pope, as his ood es e . A lo e a ai leads him close o his dea h bu Ca dinal Bo gia e en ually sa es his li e and gi es him a le e o he House o Cen u ione - a powc ul bank a he ime-o de ing hem o assis he ca ie o he documen a any momen : and so, wi h his li e a s ake (a socie y o sec e kille s ha e been paid o kili him, his being he i s Pynchonian mo i in he no el), he le e and a na iga o 's cha ha his b o he Ba holomew ga e him -and which u ns la e on o be a palimps es -, he p o agonis s m s a long pe iod o wande ing: i s o England (whe e he will all in )o e wi h maid-disguised- as -boy T is am). Iceland (whe e he will know abou E ik and his jou ney o G eenland and abou E ik's son'sjou ney o Ame ica), I eland, Po ugal, and inally Spain. whe e he comes o o e he Ca holic Mona chs Fe nando and Isabel his p ojec o he G ea Ven u e. ln luenced by his b o he Ba o, Columbus wan s o na iga e Wes ill hey can ind he Eas : Ca hay and hc Indies, one o he mos genial his o ical e o s o all imes. Bu a he Pe ipa e ic Cou o Fe nando & Isa bel he will i s ha e o be a spy in G anada and help in he conques o he ci y. Finally, hey gi e him he money and name him Admi a], Vice oy. and G ea Cap ain, and Ch is oph e s ai s his i s oyagc. Wha ollows in he no el is he accoun o his ad en u es in he ou oyagcs. In his own wo ds, Columbus ells he ea de abou ali he e en s ha many Spania ds may ha e ead abou in any o he a ailable biog aphies o he amous disco e e : he lack o discipline o he Spania ds in Hispaniola, hci e1 n when acing he «hu acanes,» he g eed o man y, he c aziness o his h o he Ba o, his own inca ce a ion and e u n o Spain in chains by o dc o Hispaniola's new Go e no Bohadilla. he Mona chs holding o his sha e, and lhei aking away om him his i les o Vi ce oy and Cap ain Gene al. .. Bu soon hose appa en ly his o ical e en s s a o be mixed up wi h Columbus'p oblems wi h he Inquisi ion and his !o e o he Spanish J ewish spy Pe ene a To es ... whose sec e name is «The Blue Pimpe nel» (yes, a p edeccsso o he Sca le one!). The eade also knows abou Ch is ophe 's Pynchonian «Whole Sick Synd ome,» a s ange malady ha impedes ea s in his eyes -among many o he symp oms-and p oduces s ange ei em i e, Chinese box d ea ms in him. These d eams a e abou a book ha concems he s o y o he Wande ing J ew, ha keepe in Pila e's palace who ea ed Ch is in a ha sh way, being he eby condemned o e e nal wande ing. The p o agonis e en hinks - o d eams?- h a he has a con e sa ion wi h God, who also seems o be e y concemed wi h he mo i o in ini e eg ess, o such a poin ha , as Bo ges <lid, He e en ells Columbus abou he possible exis ence o ano he supe io wo ld nled by a God abo e Him, and so ad in ini um. Bu inally his God comes o Columbus' escue when he is close o die a he hands o he Indians in his ou h and las oyage o Ame ica. Back in Spain, he ecei es om King Fe nando he p omise ha his elde son Diego will inhe i his i le o Admi a) o he Ocean Seas ( ha he his o ically did). and 110 F ancisco Collado Rod iJ?uez inally escapes om he house in which his amily is expec ing him o die: bu hi s oice has n ow changed, he is again a young boy who, so ne ime a e he Admi a! 's <l ea h, ies lo buy an expensi e na iga ional cha signed hy Co lumbus himsel (and i is he eal cabalis ic signa u e o he g ea disco e c ): ou na a o and p o agonis is non e o he han he Wande ing J ew , ou ad en u ous Columbus sba ll ha e o go on, na iga ing owa ds new disco e ies. As will happen in Ma lowe 's 1991 no el abou Ce an es, Columbus in his ole as na a o is g adually unde s ood hy be eade as a dccon ex ualized pos mode nis igu e who cpca s amous quo a ions ( «l su e ed lhe slings and a ows o -», 1987: 547). ocuses on ideas ha sugges in inile eg ess (448, 503), inds palimpsesls (40), o e en knows abou u u e his o ical pe sonages, om D akc (27) o Mussolini ( 14 ). Bu his ole as «pos mode nis ex posé» is pe haps bes cnbanced in lwo aspecls o hi s pe sona, as bo h na a o and cha ac e , ha di ec ly ecall pos s uclu alis c i icism: his no ions abou his o y and lhe ins ahili y o his own being. As a biog aphe o his own li e, Columbus pa odically asse s lha «His o y is, mos ly, a 1oss o he dice» ( 1 ), an opinion lhal will be ollowed by con inuous commenls ha y o unde m ine he eade 's con idence in any possible sound his o ical epo o e enls in his li e. whe he hc epo s a e w i en by any o his well-known biog aphe s o by himsel : «His o y lows no in o bu om he pen o he his o ian. so who can say ha l am igh and Las Casas w ong?» (21). A imes he will o e ly con ess ha he is consciously lying o hi s eade s, as happens in he only, highly me a ic ional oo no e he book nn ains: *This is he only oo nole you will ind. occasioncd by he single inaccu acy in hese pages . The amous ock ho seman ac ually s ands on a headland on he island o Co o, wesle nmos o he ni ne Azo es, no a Calhc a Poin on Po o San o. Bu 1 claim poe ic Iicense o placing him lhc e. 1 did in ac sec h e Co o ho scman on a <li e enl oyage, when no hing el se o in e es anspi ed (90) And, in oc . his is he only geog aphical ina ccu acy in he whole hook. Bu in his ole as c i ic and his o iog aphe Columbus e cn da es o in e p c he Book o Genesis as a «S o y» («God's amanuensis appa en ly wasn' l in e es ed in 'psychology, mo i a i on and a li ha . ·,, 167). and u lhe s his pos s uc u alis a ack on adi ional hi s o iog aphy hy inally obliging he eade s wi h his nai alo ial e lec ions abou he aims o his o y: Whal 's he pu pose o his o y? Acco ding lo he a hc o ali hislo ians, Hc odo us o Halicamassus (c. 480-425 BC), il's lo pe pe ua e he memo y o 'g ea and wonde ul dccds.' l gucss his- o y's become a lo mo e sophis ica ed si nce hen, because i s p ac i ione s a e equally inclined lo pe pe ua e he memo y o mean and aw ul dceds. No ha hey seem o ge any close lo he m h, wha e e u h i s. (462. my emphasis) A111a i<·1m H i.110 io¡¡ ap hic Me ajic ion ami E11mpea11 T adi i<m 111 On hc o he han<l, as I ha e al cady nen ioned, in he middle o his ad en u es as disco e c o he New Wo ld, Colu nbus becomes a ec ed by a s ange disease h a he himsel names as « he Whole Sick Synd ome,» o unknown o igin and mul iple symp oms, hu o ce ul en oug h o expose he p o a gonis « o he supe na u al» (538). a cha ac e is ic ha allows him o sus ain he con e sa ion wi h ha God so ond o in ini c eg ess (540-53), and ha pe h aps may also ex plain he p esence o s igma a in he Admi al's han<ls. Bu his s i gma a do no bleed, and bis eyes a e also d y, hecause he Whole Sick Synd ome ends up being no hing bu a supe na u al means o announ ce Columbus ha , as w i cn in The Ch on ídes o[ Roge Wendo e o S . Albans (his o iog aphy again!). he is none o he han he Wande ing Jcw, a di u sed agmen ed sel ha dissol es, a hc end o he no el. in o a new oice who, as hap pened o h is «p edecesso ,» also longs o isi a -away lands. In his way, Columbus ends up adding o ha lis o pos mode nis hc oes who, like Saleem Sinai in Midnígh '.1· Child en o Ty one Slo h op in G m •i y'.1· Rainbow. ha c o become agm en ed and dissol ed in o de o cpi omize he pos mode n condi ion o he human se l ... Howe e , in a ce ain -pos mode nis -way, Columbus may also em in d he cade o S ephen Ma lowe himsel . a no elis who has li ed, so a , in so ne wen y coun ies. including Spain. And om Spanish lands, in h e Goldcn Age o Spanish le e s. no elis Miguel de Ce an es will a!so L a el o he B i ish lsles and mcc a ce ain au ho called. o ali names. Ch ís ophe Ma lowe, al hough his e en will ake place in S ephl'll Ma lowe's wel h no el, 111e Dea h and Lije ~ Miguel de Ce nn es, a book whc e he p o agonis a nd na a o also has o keep on mo ing o wande ing ... Bu e en so, no wi hs anding he Ame ican coun y in which his au h o was bo n. ic ional he Columbus' ques and iden i y a e Eu opean , in his way sugges ing ha con e npo a y c i ica] iews may s ill ly he o hc way ... o ha . e cn i agmemed, he pos mode n sel is sup ana ional. REFERENCES BRADBURY. MAL COLM . 1992. Tlze Modem Ame ican No el. Ncw Edi ion. Ox o d: Ox o d UP. BROWN. JOHN. 1956. Pano ama de la Lí aa um No eame icana. Mad id: G edos. CAESAR, MICHAEL. 199 l. «l alian Fic ion in he Nine een-Eigh ies». Tn Smy h 1991 : 74-89. COLLADO RODRÍGUEZ. FRANC I SCO. 1 997. «The Colu mbu s Connec ion'? Ame ican Pos mode n Fic ion in Spain». In Pos modem S udíes 20: «Closing 711e Clip». Ame ican Pos mode n Fic ion in Ge many, I a/y, Spai11, and he Ne he lands. T. D'Haen and H. Bc cns, ed. Ams e dam and A lan a. GA: Rodopi. 171-203. 1998. «Mi o, cí culo, pa odia: del mode nismo anglo-sajón a la me a icción his o iog á ica de Pé ez-Re e c.» In E empla ia. A .loumal o Cum¡,a a i e Li e a u e. 2 ( 1 ). 1998: 47-63.