This analysis of Recuerdos de treinta años (1810-1840) (Remembrances of Thirty Years) by José Zapiola seeks to resolve inquiries with regard to the way in which this text negotiates the boundaries of genre. Employing contemporary autobiographical literary theory, this study looks at the foundational ('adánico') nature of the autobiographical subject in Recuerdos as a precursor to future national literature of selfrepresentation. In addition, it seeks to elucidate the use of romantic aesthetics in this volume. These aesthetics are distinctive of Zapiola's writing, and serve to distinguish it from the more accessible autobiographical models adopted by other contemporary authors -models which for their part enjoyed a higher amount of critical recognition during the twentieth century.