EIGHTEEN CENTURY CHILEAN LETTERS

Abstract

This article focusses on the Chilean literary production and on the historical and cultural context of the XVIIIth century Spanish-American society. In order to enhance certain related tendencies of the written production of this century, we analyze in this essay some texts by Úrsula Suárez Escobar, from Santiago. The expulsion of the Jesuit Order is also considered here to contextualize the writings of Juan Ignacio Molina and Manuel Lacunza. Finally, these notes refer to Manuel de Salas, a colonial scholar whose ideas represent the European Enlighment, which will ultimately open the gates to Spanish American independence.