Political file and religious discourse in El chileno consolado en los presidios (The Chilean conforted in prision)

Abstract

Besides being a book of consolation, the memoirs ofJuan Egaña (1769-1836), published as El chileno consolado en los presidios o Philosophy de la religion (1826), constitute a detailed political file of Chile on the eve of its independence. Its religious discourse authorizes and legitimizes the political discourse: in the name of religion it is possible to make public denunciations, in printed form, of perpetrated injustices. By including official documents and developing a victim/witness/transcriber narrative voice, the political discourse prevails and ends up being the one which sustains and gives structure to the work. This article explores and analyzes the relationship between the political and religious discourse in Egaña's work.