Crítica a la ciencia y a la tecnología en la obra de Juan León Mera

This is the study of three stories of Juan León Mera wrote in the context of science fiction, apparently read and imitated by certain Ecuadorian authors, taking into account the literary publications appearing in Europe, particularly those of Jules Verne near the end nineteenth century. Mera, in a w...

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Bibliographic Details
Author: Rodrigo Mendizábal, Iván Fernando
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2015
Country:Ecuador
Institution:Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar
Repository:Revista Andina de Letras y Estudios Culturales
Language:Spanish
OAI Identifier:oai:revistas.uasb.edu.ec:article/683
Online Access:https://revistas.uasb.edu.ec/index.php/kipus/article/view/683
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Juan León Mera
ficción
ciencia
liberalismo
progreso
relato ecuatoriano
tecnología
divulgación
Fiction
science
liberalism
progress
Ecuadorian story
technology
dissemination
Description
Summary:This is the study of three stories of Juan León Mera wrote in the context of science fiction, apparently read and imitated by certain Ecuadorian authors, taking into account the literary publications appearing in Europe, particularly those of Jules Verne near the end nineteenth century. Mera, in a way, tries to use the style of science fiction but rather more humorously to make a critique of the political and social moment that he has to live. His concern that scientific and technological reason is penetrating Ecuadorian society, calling into question a certain cultural tradition of which Mera is the defender; it also has to do with the idea of progress that he does not completely share. The stories, published in literary magazines, are a clear expression of his stance against even what liberalism seems to proclaim: a new era and a change of mentality among the sciences. Although Mera admits that the sciences are important and should be cultivated, the political use of these, their mismanagement since there is no scientific school involved, threatens, indeed, any motivation to human progress he wanted to raise.