English 137B

Book List

Acosta, Oscar Zeta: The Revolt of the Cockroach People; Benitez, Sandra: The Weight of All Things; Castillo, Ana: The Guardians; Hernandez, Tim: All They Will Call You; Islas, Arturo: The Rain God; Palacio, Melinda: Ocotillo Dreams; Rivera, Tomas: And the Earth Did Not Devour Him; Soto, Gary: Jesse; Viramontes, Helena M.: Under the Feet of Jesus

Other Readings and Media

Course reader.

Description

This course will focus exclusively on the study of Chicanx/Latinx novels published over the last fifty years. The themes and formal features in these novels have been influenced to a large degree by a broad range of experiences, including: living in the borderlands of nationality, language, and culture; growing up female in a male-centered environment; standing up against racism, sexism, and homophobia; engaging in class struggles; encountering various forms of organized state repression; migrating and immigrating; getting involved in political movements; sometimes becoming complicit with the forces of domination; responding to internal ideological conflicts; and expressing these experiences in art and literature. Because this is a reading-intensive course, we will spend considerable time in class discussing the novels and conducting collective close readings of selected passages. Class participation is required and will be factored into the course grade. We'll read and discuss a few works of literary criticism to help us analyze the aesthetic qualities of these novels and to understand how Chicanx novels expand and enrich the American literary tradition generally.