The Droolings of the Devil
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Las Babas del Diablo" ("The Droolings of the Devil", also known as "Blow-Up" in the US translation) is a short story written by Julio Cortázar, first published in the collection Las armas secretas.
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Plot
The story's protagonist is Michel, a man who goes out on a Sunday, takes a photo of a woman and young man in a park. After the photo is taken, the woman wants the film roll, Michel refuses. An older man steps out of a car. Michel runs. Coming home, Michel develops the photo and makes an enlargement of it. The photo starts to live a life of its own and after which the story reveals the mental instability of Michel.
Legacy
"The Droolings of the Devil" inspired the film Blowup by Michelangelo Antonioni in its digressive execution of metalinguistic narrative and lucid contemplation. Puerto Rican novelist Giannina Braschi used Cortázar's story as a springboard for the chapter called "Blow-up" in her bilingual novel Yo-Yo Boing! (1998), which features scenes with Cortázar's characters La Maga and Rocamadour.
Title
"Las Babas del Diablo" is an Argentine expression for the long threads of spider silk left hanging between the trees by spiders and other insects.
Inspiration
The story is said to be based a photograph taken by Chilean photographer Sergio Larraín during a shoot outside of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
See also
