Literature of Latin America (Literature as Windows to World Cultures)

252 Pages·2004·1.4 MB·English

by  Rafael Ocasio

LITERATURE OF
LATIN AMERICA
Rafael Ocasio
GREENWOOD PRESS
LITERATURE OF
LATIN AMERICA
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Paul Brians
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Bridget Kevane
LITERATURE OF
LATIN AMERICA
(cid:1)
Rafael Ocasio
Literature as Windows to World Culture
GREENWOOD PRESS
Westport, Connecticut • London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ocasio, Rafael.
Literature of Latin America / Rafael Ocasio.
p. cm. — (Literature as windows to world cultures, ISSN 1543–9968)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0–313–32001–2
1. Latin American literature—History and criticism. I. Title. II. Series.
PQ7081.033 2004
860.9'98—dc22 2004007987
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2004 by Rafael Ocasio
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2004007987
ISBN: 0–313–32001–2
ISSN:1543–9968
First published in 2004
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Tomy mother, Julia Matilde Medina Marrero,
for giving me the gift of reading

Contents
(cid:1)
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
1 Writing about the Americas: From the Colonial Period
to the Nineteenth Century 1
2 Latin America’s Twentieth-Century Literature:
Historical Movements and Landscapes 45
3 The Coming of Age of Modern Latin American
Literature: The Boom 89
4 Women Writers: New Perspectives on Latin America 145
5 Writing about Cultural, Ethnic, and Religious Identities 189
Chronology of Historic Events in Latin American Culture 219
Index 225

Acknowledgments
(cid:1)
I
should like to thank my sister, Edna Ocasio Medina, for her help in
researching bio-critical materials and for her insightful comments on the
project.
The following individuals made valuable suggestions for this project or
answered questionnaires about the most frequently discussed Latin
American writers in their literature classes at the high school level: Lynn
Andersen (Chattahoochee High School, Alpharetta, GA), Carlos
Betancourt (Eldorado High School, Las Vegas, NV), Peggy Bilbro
(Randolph School, Huntsville, AL), Michele S. de Cruz-Saenz (Strath
Haven High School, Wallingford, PA), David Ludlow (Northwest Cabarrus
High School, Concord, NC), Sylvia Martínez (Campbell High School,
Cobb County, GA), Diane Ortiz (Bonanza High School, Las Vegas, NV),
Olivia Roller (Decatur High School, Decatur, GA), Patricia Tilton (Frenship
ISD, Wolfforth, TX), and Sandra Vera (Lamar High School, Houston, TX).
I am particularly indebted to the staff of the Agnes Scott College’s
Interlibrary Loan division for their continual assistance: Stacy Schmitt and
Debbie Adams.
Finally, I appreciate Agnes Scott College Professor Emerita Eloise
Herbert’s careful editing of this book.