«You saved her life and she adores you for it»: la buena salvaje en el melodrama inglés de los 1860

• Victoria Puchal Terol ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir

     Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir

     Valencia, España

     
• Localización: Anuario de estudios filológicos, ISSN 0210-8178, Vol. 44, 2021, págs. 179-198
• Idioma: español
• DOI: 10.17398/2660-7301.44.179
• Títulos paralelos:
  • «you saved her life and she adores you for it»: The female noble savage in the english melodrama of the 1860s
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo
• Resumen
  • español

    El origen del personaje tipo del buen salvaje o «noble savage» se remonta a 1672, cuando John Dryden atribuyó cierta cualidad de pureza o libertad al salvaje que vivía ajeno a la civilización. Más adelante, el filósofo francés Jean Jacques Rousseau (1754), definió al buen salvaje como un ser inocente y no corrupto. Aunque el buen salvaje ha sido principalmente representado como hombre, también existen figuras femeninas que siguen el mismo patrón. El presente artículo pretende arrojar luz sobre la representación de la buena salvaje en el teatro de sensaciones o «sensation drama» de Londres a mediados del siglo XIX. Tras revisar la figura del buen salvaje, sus alternativas femeninas y su consiguiente iconografía, se ofrecen dos estudios de caso: Cahontas, the Delaware’s Daughter (1860) y The Prairie Flower (1860). Las protagonistas de estas obras de ambientación western nos permitirán explorar la representación y percepción pública de la buena salvaje.

  • English

    The origin of the «noble savage» dates back to 1672, when John Dryden identified in the uncivilised «savage» the qualities of purity and carelessness. Later, the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau (1754) defined the noble savage as an innocent, uncorrupted being. Even though the noble savage has been usually represented as man, we can also find female noble savages in literature. This article examines the representation of the female noble savage in London’s sensation drama of the mid-nineteenth century. We first propose to review the figures of both the male and female noble savages, considering also their popular iconography. We offer then two case studies: the anonymous Works Cahontas, the Delaware’s Daughter (1860) and The Prairie Flower (1860). The protagonists of these Western plays will give us the opportunity to explore the representation and public perception of the female noble savage.

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