Algunas reflexiones sobre literatura e historia

«Some Reflections on Literature and History». If we start from the observation that literature and history shares, as an expository method, the same language, then the question of the relationship between language and reality can be raised. Another point of departure is the proposition of the existence of an objective reality, outside language and which language names. Given these two propositions, the first reflection leads us to those literary expressions that raise the question of the perception of reality, for example, the apologue of Chuang-Tzu. Also, to Lacan’s well-known theses, taken up by Zizek, according to which the only way the patient has to refer to reality is through language, and the only way the analyst has to work with the patient is through discourse. This leads us to a crucial question in historiography: if literature can make extensive use of fantasy and try to transform it into reality through the narrative pact of verisimilitude, the science of history has to prove the veracity of its claims. In both cases, the instrument is language. The instrument being common, many resources are also common. Two examples show us the historical origin of a story by Borges and the episode of the captive, in Cervantes.