Capital fictions : the literature of Latin America’s export age

Between 1870 and 1930, Latin American countries were incorporated into global capitalist networks like never before, mainly as exporters of raw materials and importers of manufactured goods. During this Export Age, entire regions were given over to the cultivation of export commodities such as coffee and bananas, capital and labor were relocated to new production centers, and barriers to foreign investment were removed. Capital Fictions investigates the key role played by literature in imagining and interpreting the rapid transformations unleashed by Latin America's first major wave of capitalist modernization.Using an innovative blend of literary and economic analysis and drawing from a rich interdisciplinary archive, Ericka Beckman provides the first extended evaluation of Export Age literary production. She traces the emergence of a distinct set of fictions, fantasies, and illusions that accompanied the rise of export-led, dependent capitalism. These “capital fictions” range from promotional pamphlets for Guatemalan coffee and advertisements for French fashions, to novels about stock market collapse in Argentina and rubber extraction in the Amazon.Beckman explores how Export Age literature anticipated some of the key contradictions faced by contemporary capitalist societies, including extreme financial volatility, vast social inequality, and ever-more-intense means of exploitation. Questioning the opposition between culture and economics in Latin America and elsewhere, Capital Fictions shows that literature operated as a powerful form of political economy during this period. Between 1870 and 1930, Latin American countries were incorporated into global capitalist networks like never before, mainly as exporters of raw materials and importers of manufactured goods. During this Export Age, entire regions were given over to the cultivation of export commodities such as coffee and bananas, capital and labor were relocated to new production centers, and barriers to foreign investment were removed. Capital Fictions investigates the key role played by literature in imagining and interpreting the rapid transformations unleashed by Latin Americas first major wave of capitalist modernization. Using an innovative blend of literary and economic analysis and drawing from a rich interdisciplinary archive, Ericka Beckman provides the first extended evaluation of Export Age literary production. She traces the emergence of a distinct set of fictions, fantasies, and illusions that accompanied the rise of export-led, dependent capitalism. These capital fictions range from promotional pamphlets for Guatemalan coffee and advertisements for French fashions, to novels about stock market collapse in Argentina and rubber extraction in the Amazon. Beckman explores how Export Age literature anticipated some of the key contradictions faced by contemporary capitalist societies, including extreme financial volatility, vast social inequality, and ever-more-intense means of exploitation. Questioning the opposition between culture and economics in Latin America and elsewhere, Capital Fictions shows that literature operated as a powerful form of political economy during this period. Between 1870 And 1930, Latin American Countries Were Incorporated Into Global Capitalist Networks Like Never Before, Mainly As Exporters Of Raw Materials And Importers Of Manufactured Goods. Capital Fictions Investigates Literature's Key Role In Imagining And Interpreting The Rapid Transformations Unleashed By Latin America's First Major Wave Of Capitalist Modernization. Using An Innovative Blend Of Literary And Economic Analysis And Drawing From A Rich Interdisciplinary Archive, Ericka Beckman Provides The First Extended Evaluation Of Export Age Literary Production. She Traces The Emergence Of A Distinct Set Of Fictions, Fantasies, And Illusions That Accompanied The Rise Of Export-led, Dependent Capitalism. These Capital Fictions Range From Promotional Pamphlets To Guatemalan Coffee And Advertisements For French Fashions To Novels About The Stock Market Collapse In Argentina And Rubber Extraction In The Amazon. Questioning The Opposition Between Culture And Economics In Latin America And Elsewhere, Capital Fictions Shows That Literature Operated As A Powerful Form Of Political Economy During This Period. -- Back Cover. Production: Imagining The Export Republic -- Consumption: Modernismo's Import Catalogues -- Money I: Financial Crisis And The Stock Market Novel -- Money Ii: Bankruptcy And Decadence -- Exploitation: A Journey To The Export Real. Ericka Beckman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover 1 Contents 6 Introduction: CAPITAL FICTIONS 8 I. BOOM 32 Chapter 1: PRODUCTION: Imagining the Export Republic 34 Chapter 2: CONSUMPTION: Modernismo’s Import Catalogues 73 II. BUST 112 Chapter 3: MONEY I: Financial Crisis and the Stock Market Novel 114 Chapter 4: MONEY II: Bankruptcy and Decadence 152 Chapter 5: EXPLOITATION: A Journey to the Export Real 189 Conclusion: RETURN TO MACONDO 222 Acknowledgments 230 Notes 234 Bibliography 262 Index 276 A 276 B 276 C 277 D 279 E 279 F 280 G 280 H 280 I 281 J 281 L 281 M 281 N 282 O 283 P 283 Q 283 R 283 S 284 T 284 U 285 V 285 W 285 Z 285