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Profane & Sacred examines religious discourse in contemporary
Latino/a fiction, exploring how religion creates, mediates or
changes Latino culture and identity. Much contemporary literary
criticism on Latino/a literature has focused on the bilingual and
bicultural nature of Latino identity, history and cultural
production. But just as the multiplicity of cultures and languages
has shaped Latino identity and history, so too has religion.
Studying the religious discourse found in fiction can clearly
enrich not only our perception of the diversity within the Hispanic
communities, but also the diversity between sociologists and
creative writers.
Twenty-five years ago, Ilan Stavans published his first book,
Imagining Columbus: The Literary Voyage (1993). Since then, Stavans
has become a polarizing figure, dismissed and praised in equal
measure, a commanding if contested intellectual whose work as a
cultural critic has been influential in the fields of Latino and
Jewish studies, politics, immigration, religion, language, and
identity. He can be credited for bringing attention to Jewish Latin
America and issues like Spanglish, he has been instrumental in
shaping a certain view of Latino Studies in universities across the
United States as well abroad, he has anthologized much of Latino
and Latin American Jewish literature and he has engaged in
contemporary pop culture via the graphic novel. He was the host of
a PBS show called Conversations with Ilan Stavans, and has had his
fiction adapted into the stage and the big screen. The man, as one
critic stated, clearly has energy to burn and it does not appear to
be abating. This collection celebrates twenty-five years of
Stavans's work with essays that describe the good and the bad, the
inspired and the pedestrian, the worthwhile and the questionable.
Twenty-five years ago this year, Ilan Stavans published his first
book, Imagining Columbus: The Literary Voyage (1993). Since then,
Stavans has become a polarizing figure, dismissed and praised in
equal measure, a commanding if contested intellectual whose work as
a cultural critic has been influential in the fields of Latino and
Jewish studies, politics, immigration, religion, language, and
identity. He can be credited for bringing attention to Jewish Latin
America and issues like Spanglish, he has been instrumental in
shaping a certain view of Latino Studies in universities across the
United States as well abroad, he has anthologized much of Latino
and Latin American Jewish literature and he has engaged in
contemporary pop culture via the graphic novel. He was the host of
a PBS show called Conversations with Ilan Stavans, and has had his
fiction adapted into the stage and the big screen. The man, as one
critic stated, clearly has energy to burn and it does not appear to
be abating. This collection celebrates twenty-five years of
Stavans's work with essays that describe the good and the bad, the
inspired and the pedestrian, the worthwhile and the questionable.
The Dynamics of Jewish Latino Relationships centers around three
themes: immigration, race and identity, and faith and religion.
Each chapter explores an encounter that, for various reasons, has
brought Latinos and Jews together on the same stage.
There is growing awareness of the tremendous impact Latino writers
have had on the recent literary scene, yet not all readers have the
background to fully appreciate the merits and meanings of works
like House on Mango Street, Line of the Sun, Bless Me Ultima, and
In the Time of Butterflies. Offering analysis of their most
important, popular, and frequently assigned fictional works, this
book surveys the contributions of eight notable Latino writers:
Julia Alvarez, Rodolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, Junot Diaz,
Christina Garia, Oscar Hijuelos, Ortiz Cofer, and Ernesto Quinonez.
Each chapter gives biographical background on the author and clear
literary analysis of the selected works, including a concise plot
synopsis. Delving into the question of cultural identity, each work
is carefully examined not only in terms of its literary components,
but also with regard to the cultural background and historical
context. This book illuminates such themes as acculturation,
generational differences, immigration, assimilation, and exile.
Language, religion, and gender issues are explored against the
cultural backdrop, along with the social impact of such historical
events as Operation Bootstrap in Puerto Rico, the early days of
Castro's Cuba, and the Trujillo Dictatorship in the Dominican
Republic. Students and teachers will find their reading experiences
of U.S. Latino works enriched with the literary and cultural
perspectives offered here. A list of additional suggested reading
is included.
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