Do you feel you need to understand the background of an author in order to fully understand his/her work? Why or why not? **There will be a quiz THIS week on today’s notes

Latin American Literature History and Background

Latin America Latin is the base language of Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and French For example, in Spanish the word for cave is “cueva,” in Portuguese “cova,” Italian “cava.” Now you can describe that in 4 languages!

Latin America Latin America is a geographic location Every nation from Mexico to the tip of South America is considered “Latin America” Approx. 21 countries

Four Main Population Groups Indian (Native American) White Mixed Heritage Mestizo= Indian and White Mulatto= Black and White Black

Latin America INTERESTING FACT: People from Latin America are all Latin, but not all Hispanic For example, Brazilians speak Portuguese, making them Latin not Hispanic.

Languages

Use of Metaphor Like texts of other nations, Latin American stories use many metaphors Metaphor is the master trope/device. 1. Define metaphor. 2. Create an example of a metaphor?

Metaphor & Theme Metaphors help build the theme of a story. 3. Define theme. 4.List an example of a theme from something you’ve read/watched?

Latin American Literature: Common Topics Like many cultures, Latin American stories revolve around universal themes and explore interpersonal relationships. Roots in legends and myths Oral tradition Often, Latin American stories have religious or political content.

Common Themes: Family and relationship loyalties Poverty Gender Roles Social Protest & Exploitation Religion Magical Realism

Family Family is considered one's strongest bond and loyalty

Poverty Poverty is largely an issue because of the desperate situations in which many Latin American countries find themselves.

Gender Roles Traditionally, older customs and cultural traditions prevail. Women were expected to be obedient and uphold the family honor.

Political: social protest and exploitation Many Latin American countries have gone through periods of social unrest. Cuba = communism Dominican Republic = dictatorship

Religion: Catholicism Many Latin American countries have large Catholic populations. 5. Describe the Catholic iconography in this painting.

The Boom (Starting in late 1950‘s) a huge BOOM in number of important novels produced Used literary invention in narratives to express cultural heritage Experimented with language and structure, often injecting fantasy and fragmenting time and space

Gabriel Garcia Márquez (Columbia)_- Nobel Prize Winner

Magical Realism Magical Realism Dreams, Everyday Magic, Reality Unexpected, & Supernatural Everyday Reality (Regular Life Events) Magical Realism

Conclusion Latin American literature is rich with culture and social commentary. Themes are based on life experiences We will use the term “Latin Americans”