Rediscovering the New World : Inter-American Literature in a Comparative Context

Fitz, Earl E.

ISBN 10: 0877453306 / ISBN 13: 9780877453307

Published by University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA, 1991

About this Item

Minor shelfwear, else fine.; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.

Seller Inventory # 107695hg

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rediscovering the New World : Inter-American Literature in a Comparative Context
• Publisher: University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, IA
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0877453306
• ISBN 13: 9780877453307
• Binding: Softcover
• Edition: First Paperback Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literary Criticism/Literary History/Lit.Theory

About this title

Synopsis

The concept of "American" literature is not the exclusive province of any one nation. Thanks to the historical circumstances that governed the European conquest and settlement of the Americas, we can and should approach the writings of English and French Canada, the United States, Spanish America, and Brazil as a cohesive group of American literature, worthy of study without constant reference to European texts. Now, Rediscovering the New World makes a timely addition to this expanding field on Inter-American scholarship that should help lead tothe formation of a new canon.

This adventurous and ambitious work begins with an examination of Pre-Columbian literature (and shows that his powerful tradition remains alive and well in the twentieth century), then confronts the narratives of discovery and conquest, the New World epic, identity as the Ur-theme of American literature, miscegenation as another integral theme, and regionalism as a shaping force. Other striking these and juxtapositions include a comparison of Henry James and Machado de Assis as the first two great New World novelists, modernism as both a distinct literary movement and an amorphous body of aesthetic principles, and the conflict between "civilization" and "barbarism."

More in the exploratory spirit of the French Canadian voyageur than in the spirit of the conquistador, Rediscovering the New World is the first scholarly work in English to integrate an international set of American literary cultures. It should inspire other explorers as the field of Inter-American literary relations continues to evolve.

From Library Journal

Fitz compares the treatment of ten selected issues, covering both form (e.g., autochthonous oral traditions, the epic) and themes (e.g., miscegenation, solitude), in the literatures of the United States, Spanish America, Brazil, and Anglo- and Francophone Canada. The selections are representative, including lesser-known works as well as those by women that will not be familiar to all readers. Fitz, with book-length studies of Machado de Assis ( Machado de Assis , G.K. Hall, 1989) and Claire Lispector ( Claire Lispector , G.K. Hall, 1985) to his credit, compensates for the lack of depth with the breadth of coverage, broadening his previous work in Brazilian literature to produce a memorable, intercontinental approach. Recommended for comparative literature collections.
- Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC, Dublin, Ohio
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.