Latino/a Literature

elective courses

The course is an overview of Latino/a writing in the US. It will address some of the major concerns of Latino/a writers, various genres and strategies they have adopted in their work (with a special emphasis on magic realism), and the extent to which they have participated in the mainstream American writing. We will discuss the phenomenon of the Chicano/a Renaissance; pos-1990s Cuban-American and Dominican-American writing, Nuyorican poetry and narrative, the emergence of such literary figures as Rudolfo Anaya, Julia Alvarez, Oscar Hijuelos and Oscar Diaz as well as increasing popularity of Latino writers in the American literary marketplace. The course will be set against the film background to demonstrate the increasing presence of Latino/a artists.

Latinos are the largest ethnic group in the U.S., Spanish is the second most-often spoken language and its use is increasing. More and more critics of literature turn towards the rich body of Latino fictional writing to find there formal experimentation, original mythology and a disturbing portrayal of American experience. This course will address some of the major concerns of Latino/a writers, various genres and strategies they have adopted (with a special emphasis on magic realism), and the extent to which they have participated in the mainstream American writing. We will discuss the phenomenon of the Chicano/a Renaissance; post 1990s Cuban-American and Dominican-American writing, Nuyorican poetry and narrative, the emergence of such literary figures as Rudolfo Anaya, Julia Alvarez and Oscar Hijuelos and an increasing popularity of Latino writers in the literary marketplace. Despite its broad focus, the course will show preference for writers of Mexican origin such as Tomás Rivera, Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, John Rechy and Ana Castillo. The course will be set against the film background to demonstrate the increasing presence of Latino/a artists.

Primary sources:

Tales from the Hispanic Southwest from The Heath Anthology of American Literature, vol. 1.

Corridos from The Heath Anthology of American Literature, vol.2

Tomás Rivera, ... y no se lo tragó la tierra Rudolfo Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima

Arturo Islas, The Rain God

Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street

Ana Castillo, So Far from God

John Rechy, The Miraculous Day of Amalia Gomez

Julia Alvarez, In the Time of the Butterflies

Oscar Hijuelos, The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

Pedro Pietri, poetry

Junot Diaz, The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Supplementary Reading:

Raymund A. Paredes, "Mexican American Literature." In Emory Elliott, ed., Columbia Literary History of the U.S. NY: Columbia, 1988, pp. 800-810.

Héctor Calderón, "At the Crossroads of History, on the Borders of Change: Chicano Literary Studies Past, Present, and Future." In Lennard J. Davis, ed., Left Politics and the Literary Profession. NY: Columbia, 1990, pp.211-235.

Luis Leal and Pepe Barron,"Chicano Literature: An Overview." In Houston Baker, Jr.,ed., Three American Literatures. MLA, 1988, pp. 11-32.

Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera, San Francisco, Aunt Lute Books, 1987, pp. 75-87.

Mark Zimerman, "U.S. Latinos: Their Culture and Literature." In U.S. Latino Literature. Chicago: Abrazo Press, 1992, pp. 9-47.

Franz Roh, "Magic Realism: Post Expressionism." In Parkinson Zamora ed., Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. London: Duke University Press, 1995, pp. 15-31.

Alejo Carpentier, "On the Marvelous Real in America" and "The Baroque and the Marvelous Real." In Parkinson Zamora ed., Magical Realism: Theory, History, Community. London: Duke University Press, 1995, pp. 76-108.

Theo L.D'Haen, "Magical Realism and Postmodernism: Decentering Privileged Centers." In Zamora ed., Magical Realism

Wendy B. Faris, "Scheherazade's Children: Magical Realism and Postmodern Fiction." In Zamora ed., Magical Realism

Nicolas Kanellos, "Significant Trends, Movements, and Themes in Hispanic Literature of the United States." In Hispanic Literature of the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2003, pp. 174-217.

Arturo Ramírez, "La Llorona: Archetype and Interpretations." In Aztlan: Chicano Culture and Folklore. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,1998, pp. 21-28.

José Escalera, "Curanderos in Our Time." Ibid., pp.29-34.

Nicholasa Mohr, "Puerto Rican Writers in the U.S., Puerto Rican Writers in Puerto Rico: A Separation beyond Language." In Asunción Horno-Delgado ed., Breaking Boundaries: Latina Writings and Critical Readings. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1989, pp. 111-117.

Eliana Rivero, "From Immigrants to Ethnics; Cuban Writers in the U.S." In Asunción Horno-Delgado ed., Breaking Boundaries: Latina Writings and Critical Readings. Amherst: The University of Massachusetts Press, 1989, pp. 189-201.

knowledge: A student acquires basic information about Latino/a literature and visual culture in the US; the student is introduced to various cultural codes and familiarizes herself with the ways they determine cross-cultural communication especially in the U.S.;

• skills: the student develops the ability to discuss, order and synthesize narratives and cultural artifacts in their linguistic, cultural, social, historical and economic dimensions; s/he is capable of assessing the applicability of various theoretical construct to everyday cultural practices

• social competence: the student develops the attitude of tolerance towards alterity and difference and is capable of respecting cultures others than his/her own. S/he is a conscious participant in his/her own national culture and respects the American cultural heritage; s/he develops the attitude of understanding and openness towards various national cultures.

In class discussions students acquire skills of expressing their thoughts in a clear, coherent, logical and precise manner, with the use of language which is correct grammatically, lexically and phonetically.

attendance (only two absences allowed), oral presentation, response papers

Students taking classes have to demonstrate the knowledge of English at the B2+ level

retake exam session: response papers