Journeys of Formation: The Spanish-American 'Bildungsroman' (Ricardo Guiraldes, Roberto Arlt, Argentina, Jose Maria Arguedas, Julio Ramon Ribeyro, Peru, Rosario Castellanos, Elena Poniatowska, Mexico)

Recent studies have reaffirmed that travel is an important element in the socialization of individuals. Given that the Bildungsroman , or novel of formation, narrates the socialization of young people, the travel motif is thus a significant aspect of this genre. However, unlike the German, French, and English manifestations of the Bildungsroman , the Spanish American novel of formation has not yet received critical attention commensurate with its popularity, and if the journey is discussed at all, it tends to be in superficial terms. To address this, Journeys of Formation: The Spanish American Bildungsroman reveals how the journey motif works as both a plot-forming device and as a means of characterization in several of the most canonical twentieth-century Spanish American novels of formation. I contend that no discussion of the Spanish American Bildungsroman would be complete without an exploration of travel because of its role as a catalyst in the formation process of young male and female protagonists. My selection of texts includes six representative novels from three of the countries that have had a notable impact on the contemporary Spanish American canon: Ricardo Guiraldes's Don Segundo Sombra (1926) and Roberto Arlt's El juguete rabioso (1926), from Argentina; Jose Maria Arguedas's Los rios profundos (1958) and Julio Ramon Ribeyro's Cronica de San Gabriel (1960), from Peru; Rosario Castellanos's Balun Canan (1957) and Elena Poniatowska's La "Flor de Lis" (1988), from Mexico.