3.3 The Fantastic & the Uncanny

Cortázar

Julio Cortázar's 'La noche boca arriba' slides between a man in a modern hospital and an Aztec sacrifice victim — two times and spaces that blur until we can't tell which is the dream.

Lo fantástico

Lo fantástico creates hesitation: the reader can't decide whether events are supernatural or explainable. Cortázar dissolves the border between tiempo (time) and reality.

Structure creates meaning

The story's alternating structure mirrors its theme: two realities intrude on each other until they merge. Form and meaning are inseparable.

Key terms

'La noche boca arriba'

Cortázar — a hospital and an Aztec sacrifice blur

Julio Cortázar

Argentine master of the fantastic

lo fantástico

hesitation between the supernatural and the explainable

tiempo y espacio

time and space — the theme that blurs here

Form = meaning

alternating structure mirrors merging realities

Try an AP-style question

The fantastic differs from magical realism because it creates…

1. pure realism with no strange events
2. strict historical accuracy
3. calm, matter-of-fact acceptance of magic
4. hesitation between natural and supernatural