Abstract

This paper applies Edmund Burke’s sublime theory to a textual analysis of Cristina García’s The Agüero Sisters. It explores how the novel embodies the Burkean sublime through three core elements: supernatural forces, the terror and fear stemming from the mother’s mysterious death, and the physical and psychological trauma endured by the two Agüero sisters. The study reveals that these intertwined sublime elements not only align with Burke’s definition of the sublime rooted in terror, pain and fear, but also fill the existing research gap in interpreting this novel from the perspective of the sublime theory. In doing so, it provides a new aesthetic perspective on the novel’s portrayal of family trauma and the psychological states of Cuban-American immigrants.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.