Abstract In this paper lies one of the most important contributions of Fredric Jameson to set out on a reflection on this phenomenon that, in modern times, is known as Culture of Fear. From a critical study of national trauma and the awakening of massive delirium, the well-known Marxist theorist offers us keys of great interest to re-read the avatars of the collective experience after the 9/11 attacks, without losing sight of the active role of the mass media, the political logics of the global capital, and the advance of religious fundamentalism. The article today released by the journal Estudios has originally been published in South Atlantic Quarterly (Vol. 101, Number 2, Duke University Press, 2002, p. 297-304), and then reproduced in the compilation Dissent from the Homeland: Essays after September 11, edited by Stanley Hauerwas and Lentricchia (Duke University Press, Durham & London, 2003, pp. 55-62). It has been translated directly from English into Spanish by Ariel Gómez Ponce, who, in turn, kindly thanks Professor Fredrick James, whose generosity has allowed us to present the following text, for the first time, to the Spanish-speaking readership.

Resumen En el presente artículo yace uno de los aportes fundamentales de Fredric Jameson para emprender una reflexión en torno a ese fenómeno que, en tiempos recientes, reconocemos como una Cultura del Miedo. A partir de un estudio crítico del trauma nacional y del despertar del delirio masivo, el reconocido teórico marxista nos ofrece aquí claves de sumo interés para releer los avatares de la experiencia colectiva luego de los atentados del 11 de septiembre de 2001, ello sin perder de vista el papel activo de los medios de comunicación, las lógicas políticas del capitalismo global y el avance del fundamentalismo religioso. El artículo que hoy rescata la revista Estudios ha sido traducido directamente del inglés, habiendo sido publicado, inicialmente, en South Atlantic Quarterly (Vol. 101, Nro. 2, Duke University Press, 2002, pp. 297-304) y, luego, reproducido en la compilación Dissent from the Homeland: Essays after September 11, editada por Stanley Hauerwas and Frank Lentricchia (Duke University Press, Durham & London, 2003, pp. 55-62). La traducción al español es obra de Ariel Gómez Ponce, quien a su vez agradece profundamente la gentileza del profesor Fredric Jameson, por cuya generosidad podemos presentar, por primera vez, el siguiente texto al lector de habla hispana.

O romance histórico articula uma oposição entre um plano público ou histórico (definido seja pelos costumes, acontecimentos, crises ou líderes) e um plano existencial ou individual, denotado pela categoria narrativa que denominamos personagens. A arte do romance histórico consiste na habilidade com que essa interseção é configurada e exprimida, em uma invenção singular que se produz de modo imprevisto em cada caso.

The historical novel is organized into an opposition between a public or historical level (whether customs, events, crises or leaders) and a existential or individual level expressed by that narrative category we call characters. The art of historical novel consists on the skill with which that intersection is modeled and conveyed, in an unique invention which must be produced unexpectedly in every case.