SOURCE: "Aura and its Precedents in Fuentes's Earlier Works," in The Archetypes of Carlos Fuentes: From Witch to Androgyne, Archon Books, 1980, pp. 43-63.

Durán is an American educator and critic. Here, she presents a survey of critical responses to Aura and offers her own analysis of the novella. Durán finds that Fuentes uses the figure of Aura/Consuelo as an archetypal witch or, more accurately, a sorceress. The critic argues that this figure encompasses both creative and destructive elements and serves to address the human need to transcend space, time, and identity.

Aura: the Plot

Aura is a fairy tale for adults set in the enchanted land of Mexico City today. The hero, Felipe Montero, is a young historian who answers a newspaper advertisement which he feels is directed specifically to him. He finds himself in the shadowy, old mansion of an indescribably ancient woman, Consuelo...