The poetic space in response to the repression of the body

Abstract

The emergence of the body/reason duality in Modernity has led to the conception of the human body as a machine that can be polished and improved in order to enhance the rational capacities of man. This notion does not limit itself technoscientifically, but is also part of the collective imagination due to its expanded distribution in the cultural industries. The objective of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of this duality, its consequences on the submission of the body in modern societies and, finally, the defense of bodily potentials both from the poetry and philosophical logos. The analysis of Octavio Paz’s poem “Bajo tu clara sombra” describes the loving act capacity to make restitution of the time of the body as it meets the Otherness.