The end of the world, wide open spaces, wind, gigantic dimensions and weird characters ‑  hese are widespread associations with the southernmost region of the American continent. At the same time, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego have fascinated travellers and writers from time immemorial. However, the wildly romantic imaginations of the adventurers are counter-balanced by the memory of the violence of the history of settlement in the region. The author uses contemporary narrative texts to test the stereotypes mentioned and analyse the relations between Europe and South America represented in them.