Fluid Geographies: Deterritorializing Nation and Self in Carolina Coronado’s “Un paseo”

Abstract: The present article explores the intersection of travel, affect and self-knowledge in Carolina Coronado’s epistolary travelogue “Un paseo desde el Tajo al Rhin” (1851–52). Written during her journey through Spain and France, Coronado’s text weaves natural and emotional landscapes into a perceptive inquiry into temporality, subjectivity and the destabilization of rigid boundaries. The discussion highlights the author’s proto-phenomenological approach to the travelling self, where emotional diversity transcends traditional binaries of joy and sorrow, offering a dynamic, dialectical interplay between delight and grief. By centering on liminal spaces and sites that overwhelm existing structures, the travelogue underscores the transformative power of traversing boundaries, whether political, cultural or emotional. Coronado’s reflections extend beyond physical movement, using nature’s fluidity as a metaphor for internal multiplicity and an entry point into human complexity. Her descriptions evoke a ‘both-and’ perspective, resisting dichotomies that typically constrain identity and emotional experience. This reading situates Coronado’s work within broader discussions of emodiversity and phenomenological temporality. Ultimately, the essay posits “Un paseo” as an invitation to rethink static categorizations and embrace complexities and interdisciplinarity, offering fresh perspectives on the intersections of literature, politics and affective experience.