The Landscape of the Consumer Society

Abstract

The subject of this chapter, Costa Rican author Fernando Contreras Castro’s novel Unica mirando al mar (Unica Watching the Sea; 1993), is emblematic of that country’s, and by extension Central and, indeed, Latin America’s struggle for ecological reform. The Costa Rican Ministry of Education has made the novel obligatory reading for all ninth graders, and it is regularly taught at Costa Rica’s two public universities, the Universidad de Costa Rica and the Universidad Nacional (Calderón 173). In addition, it has been adapted for the stage and enjoyed success in various venues throughout the country, including the prestigious Teatro Mélico Salazar in the nation’s capital, San José (Díaz 9; Hernández 2).