Chasqui · 1995 · 45 citations · 0 references
Literary TheoryLatin American ArchaeologyLatin American StudySpanish LiteratureEarly American LiteratureCultural StudiesCanadian LiteratureLatino/a StudiesComparative LiteratureLiterary CriticismCaribbean StudiesLatin American DiasporaChicano StudiesChicana WritersLatin American HistoryLatino LiteratureCultural HistoryLatin American CultureLiterary StudyMexican American WomenArtsLatin American StudiesInfinite DivisionsLiterary HistoryRomance StudiesHumanitiesExplosive CreativitySpanishMexican American Literature
This anthology compiles the creative output of Chicana writers over the past two decades, highlighting key themes such as identity, cultural heritage, and the re‑visioning of foremothers from 1848 to the present. It presents more than fifty authors—including Anzaldua, Castillo, Cervantes, Chavez, Cisneros, Mora, Moraga, and Viramontes—through poetry, fiction, drama, essay, and other literary forms.
Given the explosive creativity shown by Chicana writers over the past two decades, this first major anthology devoted to their work is a major contribution to American letters. It highlights the key issues, motifs, and concerns of Mexican American women from 1848 to the present, and particularly reflects the modern Chicana's struggle for identity. Among the recurring themes in the collection is a re-visioning of foremothers such as the historical Malinche, the mythical Llorona, and pioneering women who settled the American Southwest from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. Also included are historical documents on the lives, culture, and writings of Mexican American women in the nineteenth century, as well as oral histories recorded by the Federal Writers Project in the 1930s. Through poetry, fiction, drama, essay, and other forms, this landmark volume showcases the talents of more than fifty authors, including Gloria E. Anzaldua, Ana Castillo, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Denise Chavez, Sandra Cisneros, Pat Mora, Cherrie Moraga, and Maria Helena Viramontes.