Review: Salvador Elizondo's "El Hipogeo Secreto" and Wittgenstein's PhilosophyAuthor(s): George R. McMurraySource: Hispania, Vol. 53, No. 2 (May, 1970), pp. 330-334Published by: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and PortugueseStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/338597 .Accessed: 26/10/2011 18:28

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BOOKS OF THE HISPANIC WORLD Conducted by DONALD W. BLEZNICK*

SALVADOR ELIZONDO'S "EL HIPOGEO SECRETO" AND WITTGENSTEIN'S PHILOSOPHY

GEORGE R. MCMURRAY Colorado State University

Salvador Elizondo's second and most recent novelistic endeavor to date is just as bizarre and intriguing as his first. Born in Mexico City in 1932, Elizondo initiated his literary career in 1965 with the publi- cation of Farabeuf o la crdnica de un instante.' El Hipogeo Secreto (1968), like its predecessor, weaves philosophic and linguistic preoccupations into a hazy and at times almost incomprehensible plot.2

The characters are a woman called la Perra (frequently referred to as Mia) and the members of a secret organization named the Urkreis. These include the author- narrator (Elizondo); an amateur writer, X.; H., a geometrician; an elderly architect, E.; el pseudo-T., who specializes in decipher- ing ancient writings; and el Sabelotodo, the leader of the group. The Urkreis' search for the secrets of human destiny emerges as the central theme.

The novel consists primarily of several basic scenes of nightmarish quality repeated again and again without regard for logical concepts of time or space. The most fre- quent of these are: (1) an ancient city in ruins; (2) a magnificent modem port- metropolis imagined by the architect E.; (3) an author (Elizondo) writing a book entitled El Hipogeo Secreto in the same room with a woman (la Perra or Mia) who is reading a volume bound in red Morrocan leather "en el que ese escritor estA descrito en el acto de escribir este libro." (p. 43); (4) two men conversing beneath a large tree; (5) a woman descending a stone stair- way to meet a man of unknown identity; and (6) a photograph of a woman next to a broken sundial which bears an illegible inscription. (The last two are set in the ancient city.) In order to achieve their

goal, the members of the secret organiza- tion must journey to a distant "reducto" guided by el Sabelotodo after la Perra sub- mits to a vaguely defined "rito" consisting of her dance as the "Flor de Fuego." The work ends with a climactic chain of events depicting the vain search for the ever elu- sive "Hipogeo Secreto."3

Elizondo's interest in twentieth-century philosophy is principally due to the con- nection it has established between philo- sophical problems and language, a connec- tion best established by the Austrian phi- losopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) whose Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, his first and only work published during his lifetime, is the most important single in- fluence on El Hipogeo Secreto.4 Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1921) profoundly affected logical positivism5 during the 1930's. Wittgenstein's second and equally important work, Philosophical Investiga- tions (1953), repudiates much of the Tractatus and begins anew, constituting a major factor in the rise of linguistic analy- sis and semantics of the 1950's and 1960's.6

The Tractatus attempts to define the function of language and to establish its limits by making clear what can and can- not be said. It states that language presents a picture of reality by naming objects and depicting facts. For example: "The watch is on the table" names two objects (watch and table) and depicts a fact. What makes the linguistic picture a representation of what it depicts is a similarity of structure; the logical form of the statement and the logical form of the fact are identical.

Since language presents a logical picture of reality, the limits of language, thought, logic and the world all coincide. Wittgen- stein reasons, moreover, that what can be said can be stated clearly and what we cannot talk about lucidly we must consign to silence. Furthermore, when an answer

* Publishers and authors may send their books to Prof. Donald W. Bleznick, Book Review Editor, Hispania, 352 McMicken Hall, Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221.

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BOOKS OF THE HISPANIC WORLD 331

cannot be put into words, neither can the question be formulated, and if a question can be framed, it is possible to answer it. It follows then that riddles do not exist and that metaphysics cannot be discussed because it attempts to pass beyond linguistic boundaries. Wittgenstein eventually aban- doned the picture-theory of language and pessimistically concluded that there can be no final analysis to remove all possible risk of misunderstanding. Therefore philosophy must begin with the distrust of language.

Of the previously mentioned scenes which constitute the major portion of El Hipogeo Secreto the one depicting the author-narrator writing a book in the same room with la Perra serves as the focal point of the novel. In fact, it soon becomes evi- dent that all the other scenes form a part of this work-also entitled El Hipogeo Secreto-and that the entire plot occurs as the story is being created. All the charac- ters including the narrator (who assumes several ambiguous identities) and la Perra (who is reading the book) are obsessed with the outcome of the work in progress, referred to as "la representaci6n de un universo absolutamente gerundial" (p. 95) whose "final es siempre el momento pre- sente" (p. 124) and in which "se trata de un Aqui que se desplaza siempre" (p. 155).

Wittgenstein's statements regarding the limits of language find expression in sev- eral passages that explain the characters' inability to know the denouement. For ex- ample, in one scene as the narrator and la Perra are conversing, "El lenguaje se vuelve dhctil y s61o expresa ... aquello que claramente le es propio. Guardan silencio acerca de aquello que no se puede expresar claramente" (p. 82). The climax and conclusion even more clearly illustrate the Austrian philosopher's contention that language has no meaning when applied to metaphysics. Thus when the narrator ex- citedly orders la Perra to read beyond the present moment, we learn that the text "trata de un transito misterioso hacia un fondo mas bajo de las palabras. Hacia el fondo en el que todavia no estAn disociadas de la substancia que las hace significativas como representaciones escritas de una realidad que les es totalmente ajena" (p. 157). In the final lines we are told that el

Imaginado (one of the author's various identities) is still writing and senses the presence of somebody reading over his shoulder. Suddenly a voice is heard: "la voz de alguien que da instrucciones supli- cantes a un asesino ritual en una ceremonia equivoca....

-iAhora!.. ." (p. 159). The reader is led to believe that death alone might hold the answers to questions regarding man's destiny.

The word-picture theory is another as- pect of Wittgenstein's philosophy set forth in Elizondo's work. In the following pas- sage the author of El Hipogeo Secreto relates words he has written with the ob- jects they designate and attempts to evoke the distant moment in the past when ver- bal utterances first gave hazy description ("figuraci6n velada") to reality. Vuelvo a abrir el cuaderno . . . y veo ante mis ojos algo que se define aqul como la palabra ventana y m~is alhi de ventana una franja vio- licea que se llama cielo y cerca de ventana, sombra; cuerpo quizais; alli cuadro y aqui, ante mis ojos: dilbum, en cuyas piginas describo a un hombre que se esti describiendo . . en el instante en el que naci6 la palabra y en el que 6sta era anterior a su primer proferimiento; ese momento iinico en la historia del espiritu en el que la palabra no era sino la verbalizaci6n del gesto que es su origen, la figuraci6n velada de un universo . .. (pp. 47-48)

The paragraph immediately following continues the theory that language reflects reality by demonstrating how words com- pose images that gradually achieve greater clarity "conforme el lenguaje se decanta y se destila," i.e., as language acquires a logi- cal structure similar to that of reality.

Y asi se construye, con palabras, la imagen de esa mujer descendiendo por una escalinata. Salvador Elizondo . . . compara la traslaci6n descendente a la disposici6n que tiene una ciu- dad imaginaria . . . Es una imagen fugaz que se clarifica paulatinamente conforme el lenguaje se decanta y se destila. La identidad de esa mujer se harai explicita. Su nombre mismo tiene un significado oculto que las palabras . . aca- barain ... por aclarar. (p. 48)

A complex novel that lends itself to numerous interpretations, El Hipogeo Sec- reto assumes greater plausibility if one considers it a fantastic dream which drama- tizes Elizondo's inner conflicts as he at- tempts to create a work of art whose literary style accurately reflects his psychic

332 HISPANIA

moods. The basic clash unleashed by the dream appears to be that between reality and truth, a striking dichotomy given fre- quent expression by the two scenes por- traying an ancient city in ruins and a magnificent metropolis envisioned by the architect E. The former represents an ugly or timeworn version of reality from which the true artist must escape, while the latter is a subjective vision of truth and orig- inality embodied in the ideal of artistic integrity and perfection. La Perra com- bines the romantic elements of mystery, intuition and passion vital to artistic crea- tion (she and the narrator are lovers), and the scene describing a tree with two men conversing in its "sombra" evokes the per- petual menace of death. Finally the Ur- kreis, a select group of individuals whose diverse professions place them in contact with different levels of reality, more than likely represents various facets of the auth- or's personality and signifies his intense feeling of alienation from the social com- munity.

The conflict between reality and truth becomes apparent not only in the striking contrast between the ancient and modern cities but also in the author's style, which reflects his disturbed psychic state, and in his portrayal of la Perra. In the following passage the narrator describes his warring sentiments upon finding himself alone in the crumbling city.

"Yo me qued6 alli, inm6vil, . . . Un sol de sombra. Asi era el ocaso; una dimensi6n de la percepci6n mediante la que ese astro negro, fusiforme, declinaba al final de aquel sendero polvoriento . . . El sol, el otro sol temporal, ascendia claramente al extremo del camino . .. Decidi6 entonces ir a hablar con X . .. Caminaba entre las construcciones arruinadas evocando el suefio de E.... la brisa lijando las colum- nas caidas: un remedo carcomido, . .. de un esplendor que s6lo era de las palabras que expresaban el suefio . . ." (p. 24). Here the "astro negro" and the "columnas caidas" clash with the bright "sol temporal" and the "esplendor" of E.'s dream, while the change from first to third personal pro- nouns indicates the narrator's unremitting search for identity.

Although la Perra first appears as the woman reading the same book that Eli- zondo is writing, her character gradually takes shape in the author's mind as she is presented in several scenes amidst the old city and imagined performing the "danza de la Flor de Fuego," a beautiful ceremony symbolizing poetic truth. Or, as Elizondo writes, "la danza de la Flor de Fuego revelaba algo mis que giraciones, .

. . Llegu- a confundir la danza de la Perra con las arquitecturas que sofiaba E. . .." (p. 21).

In his efforts to capture the luminous moments of ecstasy experienced by the narrator and la Perra, Elizondo attains spectacular flights of fantasy, verbal mo- ments analogous to E.'s architectural vision. For example, the following passage depicts the two lovers being transported by sexual passion from the city in ruins into E.'s dream. "Nos sentamos en los rebordes de un mausoleo derruido .. . El deseo acude como las hienas a la carrofia . . . te tien- des, infinitamente abierta hacia mi. Te abres como una bahia sofiada por nuestro arquitecto E. . . . Te derrumbas de amor en mis brazos . . . Gritas" (pp. 96-98). Then, continuing to address la Perra in highly evocative, metaphoric language, the narrator looks back and describes this escape from reality across "el abismo" and into the ideal world of truth, an escape effected by words ("caballos viejos") de- picting images of historical, geographical, mathematical, sexual, psychological and esthetic connotations. Gritas como gritan los jinetes xirbaros y espo- leas las palabras que presurosa me pides que te diga, como si estas fueran caballos viejos, ini- tiles para doblegar la rectilinea extensi6n de las estepas interiores; esos galopares 4picos de nuestra historia universal intima; hordas que te penetran y te rompen la frontera de todo lo que eres, la posibilidad limitrofe de todo lo que hubieras podido ser; el significado de todo lo que algin dia, cuando los designios secretos que te han animado, . . se realicen, seris, con toda la claridad del sol, en mi mirada fija sobre el abismo, inm6vil yo en la convulsi6n de un abrazo asf; el abrazo que conduce a un suefio

.. (pp. 98-99) One might deduce that the novel's pro-

tagonists are not only its characters but also its words and that these constitute Elizon- do's unique literary style and give sub-

BOOKS OF THE HISPANic WORLD 333

stance to his interpretations of Wittgen- stein's philosophy. As noted above, Witt- genstein states in his Tractatus that lan- guage depicts reality and that the limits of language and thought coincide with the limits of the world. He further reasons that the limits of each individual's language and thoughts likewise coincide with the limits of that individual's world. This leads the philosopher to a discussion of solipsism which may be defined as the doctrine that only one's self and one's thoughts exist, visi- ble reality being nothing more than the product of the imagination.7 In his obses- sive preoccupation with style, Elizondo car- ries these ideas a step further and, attempt- ing to reduce the world to linguistic princi- ples, suggests that visible reality is false until given concrete form by words, the essence of language and art which to him are more real than reality itself. As the author of El Hipogeo Secreto explains, "Concibo el universo como un gran diccio- nario abrumador y el drama de todos los dias, ... las sensaciones que sentimos,... como si no fueran . . . mais que el sentido que deben tener las palabras" (p. 55). Words and names give lifeblood to his characters, "seres cuya esencia . . . son las palabras; esas palabras que jerarquizan las sensaciones que van precisando como len- guaje" (p. 46). "Casi todos [the characters] tienen ya un nombre que los materializa en el orden da la escritura" (p. 58). And la Perra is "Alguien cuya causa es la escri- tura . . . como algo que estA siendo expre- sado y asi existe" (p. 60).

Other passages, however, convey Eli- zondo's feelings of frustration upon at- tempting to paint a precise linguistic pic- ture of reality. For example, on several occasions the amateur novelist X. displays a piece of polished amber containing an insect trapped in flight, an image symboliz- ing artistic beauty. The author refers to this image as he reflects on the dissimi- larity between "el ser real" and the lin- guistic structure of one of his word-por- traits. "El ser real ?d6nde se esconde?

Quiz, detrAs de estas palabras, como la

mosca se oculta visiblemente en la traslu- cidez del Ambar" (p. 56). This remark

would seem to indicate that Elizondo shares Wittgenstein's ultimate distrust of lan- guage, rejecting, as did Wittgenstein, the theory that words can accurately picture reality. Moreover, that words fail to synthe- size linguistic clarity and esthetic perfec- tion is evidenced by the novel's pessimistic ending.8 Thus the architect E. gazes at his ideal city through a window and confesses it to be an unattainable dream; la Perra never actually performs her "danza de la Flor de Fuego"; and, as pointed out pre- viously, the author concurs with Wittgen- stein's statements regarding the metaphysi- cal limitations of language. Still, Elizondo's ability to capture occasional fleeting mo- ments of truth illuminated by poetic bril- liance-like the fly which hides "visible- mente en la traslucidez del Ambar"-makes words more worthwhile for him than reality.

El Hipogeo Secreto and Farabeuf (Eli- zondo's first novel) have much in com- mon: strong philosophical overtones, un- usual stylistic patterns, and recurring themes such as love, sadism and death. The two books are basically different, how- ever, in that Farabeuf deals primarily with bodily sensations and El Hipogeo Secreto with metaphysical ideas. Although in its entirety this most recent work of Elizondo's lacks the spellbinding quality of Farabeuf -probably due to the latter's more dia- bolical subject matter and more repetitive, irrational style-El Hipogeo Secreto probes deeper philosophical questions and contains passages that surpass any in its predecessor for sheer poetic beauty.

Elizondo's principal objective is the artistic expression of his innermost thoughts and dreams in his own unique terms, an objective which he achieves and which makes him a part of the increasingly prevalent trend away from the traditional concept of the novel in contemporary Mexico and Latin America. Because of the concentrated efforts required of his readers to understand his writings, he is not widely appreciated. Yet, the fact that works like Farabeuf and El Hipogeo Sec- reto are published and recognized as sig- nificant attests to the current literary so- phistication south of the Rio Grande.

Like Wittgenstein, Elizondo realizes the

334 HISPANIA

limits of language but can conceive of nothing beyond these limits. Though his search for truth and his preoccupation with philosophical and esthetic issues have caused him to lose sight of immediate reality, Salvador Elizondo emerges as one of the most original men of letters writing in Spanish today.9

NOTES iFor a detailed discussion of this work see

George R. McMurray, "Salvador Elizondo's Farabeuf," Hispania, 50, no. 3 (Sept. 1967): 596-600.

2El Hipogeo Secreto (Mexico: Joaquin Moritz, 1968). All page references to quotations from this work will appear in the body of the text.

3"Hipogeo," an ancient architectural term meaning a grave or a subterranean portion of a building, here symbolizes man's goal of finding the answers to metaphysical questions.

40Other possible philosophical influences in- clude Plato, Aristotle, Heraclitus, Descartes, Condillac, and Sartre.

5Logical positivism holds that man's thoughts and ideas are dependent on his command of language. According to this philosophy only empirical statements are genuine for they alone can be verified. Metaphysical concepts, on the other hand, are meaningless for their true value cannot be ascertained through observation.

61In Philosophical Investigations, Wittgenstein defines language as a composite of "language- games" or uses of words in their wide range of contexts. Although "language-games" are hinted at on pp. 74, 92-93, and 140-41 of El Hipogeo Secreto, and although Elizondo's stylistic peculi- arities and pessimism may be attributed in part to ideas formulated in the Austrian philosopher's second work, this study will confine itself pri- marily to the influence of the Tractatus which is far more important and tangible.

7Wittgenstein's discussion of solipsism, which he neither accepts nor rejects entirely, is some- what complicated.

8The "Hipogeo Secreto" could also symbolize the elusive goal of linguistic clarity and esthetic perfection.

9The preparation of this study has been facilitated by a research grant from Colorado State University.

BANDERA G6MEZ, CESAREo. El "Poema de Mio Cid": Poesia historia, mito. Madrid: Editorial Gredos, 1969. R6istica. 191 pp. El la primera parte del presente libro, la cual

comprende tres capitulos, el Prof. Bandera estu- dia la historicidad y el valor artistico del Poema de Mio Cid; despubs pasa a examinar el famoso verso "iDios, qu6 buen vassallo .. .!" y el sentimiento religioso de la obra. El analisis de lo mitico ocupa, a su vez, seis capitulos y el

ap6ndice, esto es, la parte fundamental del tra- bajo.

En la Introducci6n, el autor se propone de- mostrar que la poesna y la historia no se excluyen mutuamente, sino, por el contrario, "el caraicter hist6rico del Cantar es inseparable de la intui- ci6n po6tica que hace de e1 una obra de arte literario" (p. 16). El caricter mitico del Cantar, inseparable a su vez del valor po6tico y de la historicidad, consiste para el autor en la fusi6n de lo tradicional y comunitario con lo intimo y personal.

Ahora bien, lo mitico se cristaliza en el Poema en el episodio del le6n donde el Cid adquiere dimensi6n sobrenatural. El autor sefiala que este le6n, que se inclina ante la grandeza del heroe, es un le6n moral, pero lo es s6lo por reflejar al le6n biblico, simbolo de Cristo, tal como aparece en los bestiarios medievales. Dicho le6n se carac- teriza, entre otras cosas, por su vigilancia, su astucia y por su humildad, cualidades que con- stituyen tambien las caracteristicas del Cid mitico seguin el autor. Asi el Cid representaria para el juglar que le atribuye caricter mesiinico el "re- flejo viviente de Cristo, de un Cristo guerrero y majestitico, fuerte y eternamente vigilante" (p. 108).

El Prof. Bandera muestra que el caricter mitico del Cid aparece hasta en el episodio de Raquel y Vidas, considerado por Castro como el mis antimitico. El Campeador sorprende y burla a los judios, victimas de su propia codicia, gracias a sus cualidades miticas; su astucia, su sigilo y la urgencia con que realiza sus movi- mientos. El autor estima que el engafio de los judios no constituye ninglin lapsus moral del juglar, sino, por el contrario, subraya le ejem- plaridad del h&oe, pues Cristo se vale del mis- mo engafio en los bestiarios. Las sintomas de la demitificaci6n se advierten, por otro lado, en la ceguera del Cid despubs del episodio del le6n, pues aquf desaparecen su vigilancia y su pre- visi6n, cualidades esenciales de su caricter mitico.

A pesar de la riqueza de detalles y la erudi- ci6n con que el Prof. Bandera apoya su punto de vista, no es ficil ver, salvo el episodio del le6n, que el Poema refleje el caricter mesiainico del Cid y que su mito sea a su vez reflejo de los grandes mitos cristianos, esto es, del 6xodo biblico y de la encarnaci6n. Algo similar ocurre con su ejemplaridad en la burla hecha a los judios, ya que el mismo heroe no parece creer en la ejemplaridad de su acci6n cuando declara: "V6alo el Criador con todos los sos santos,/ yo m~s non puedo e amidos lo fago" (pp. 95- 96). Finalmente, aunque admitimos que los in- fantes de Carri6n son esencialmente c6micos, nos parecen tambidn monstruosos en su crueldad al azotar a sus esposas inocentes.

El Prof. Bandera demuestra, a lo largo de su libro bien escrito, una fina sensibilidad literaria y un perfecto conocimiento de los problemas en torno a la critica cidiana. Su trabajo representa, a nuestro modo de ver, una contribuci6n impor- tante al estudio del Cantar de Mio Cid.

JOSEPH SZERTICS Univ. of Iowa

Article Contentsp. 330p. 331p. 332p. 333p. 334

Issue Table of ContentsHispania, Vol. 53, No. 2 (May, 1970), pp. 181-358+i-xlFront Matter [pp. 269-269]Estructura y Sentido de un Soneto de Daro [pp. 181-188]La Dualidad Mstica en "La Sirena Negra" de Pardo Bazn [pp. 189-197]Jealousy in the Novels of Machado de Assis [pp. 198-206]Los Dramas "Negros" de Jacinto Benavente [pp. 207-211]Symbolism in Octavio Paz's "Puerta Condenada" [pp. 212-219]Mendoza's Renunciation of Fame as Revealed in His "Carta VI" from Alcntara [pp. 220-224]Imagery in the Works of Ramn Rubn [pp. 225-229]Dissertations in the Hispanic Languages and Literatures -- 1969 [pp. 230-241]Letters to the EditorMore "Ph" for "F" [pp. 242-243]

Shop-TalkTranslating Paul Goodman into Foreign Language Teaching [pp. 243-249]Carlos: Computer-Assisted Instruction in Spanish [pp. 249-252]Teaching the Methods Course in the Foreign Language [pp. 253-255]

Spanish in the Elementary SchoolsTeacher-Pupil Interaction in the FLES Class [pp. 256-260]Levels of Language Success [pp. 260-262]

Notes on UsageSome Spanish Words in the English-Based Dialect of Trinidad [pp. 263-266]"De" [pp. 266-268]

Official Announcements [p. 270]The President's Corner [pp. 271-272]Fact and OpinionAristotle and Vargas Llosa: Literature, History and the Interpretation of Reality [pp. 273-277]Unamuno's Correspondence with North Americans: A Checklist [pp. 277-285]

Foreign Language Currents [pp. 286-290]Notes and News [pp. 291-301]Chapter News [pp. 301-304]The Hispanic World [pp. 304-329]Books of the Hispanic WorldReview: Salvador Elizondo's "El Hipogeo Secreto" and Wittgenstein's Philosophy [pp. 330-334]Review: untitled [p. 334]Review: untitled [p. 335]Review: untitled [pp. 335-336]Review: untitled [p. 336]Review: untitled [pp. 336-337]Review: untitled [pp. 337-338]Review: untitled [p. 338]Review: untitled [pp. 338-339]Review: untitled [p. 339]Review: untitled [pp. 339-340]Review: untitled [pp. 340-341]Review: untitled [p. 341]Review: untitled [pp. 341-342]Review: untitled [pp. 342-343]Review: untitled [p. 343]Review: untitled [pp. 343-344]Review: untitled [p. 344]Review: untitled [p. 345]Review: untitled [pp. 345-346]Review: untitled [p. 346]Review: untitled [pp. 346-347]Review: untitled [pp. 347-348]Review: untitled [p. 348]Review: untitled [pp. 348-349]

Books Received [p. 349]ReviewsReview: untitled [p. 350]Review: untitled [pp. 350-351]Review: untitled [pp. 351-352]Review: untitled [pp. 352-353]Review: untitled [pp. 353-354]Review: untitled [pp. 354-355]Review: untitled [pp. 355-356]Review: untitled [pp. 356-357]Review: untitled [pp. 357-358]

Back Matter [pp. i-xl]