Literary Cultures of Latin America : A Comparative History

A broad, sophisticated survey of the literary worlds of the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking cultures of the New World. Leading scholars examine history, texts, cultural institutions, and social, political, and other contexts of the writing.

In three volumes of expert, innovative scholarship, Literary Cultures of Latin America offers a multidisciplinary reference on one of the most distinctive literary cultures in the world. In more than 1,000 topically arranged articles written by a team of international scholars, Literary Cultures of Latin America explores the shifting problems that have arisen across national borders, geographic regions, time periods, linguistic systems, and cultural traditions in literary history. Bucking the tradition of focusing almost exclusively on the great canons of literature, this unique reference work casts its net wider, exploring pop culture-comic strips, soap operas, sermons, scientific essays, and more. While collaborators are careful to note that these volumes offer only a snapshot of the diverse body of Latin American literature, Literary Cultures of Latin America highlights unique cultural perspectives that have never before received academic attention. With signed articles each with complete bibliographies, this unique reference also takes into account relevant political, anthropological, economic, geographic, historical, demographic, and sociological research in order to understand the full context of each community''s literature. The largest comparative history project in the world with unprecedented, original scholarship, Literary Cultures of Latin America creates a new chapter in cultural history that sets the standard for years to come.