Latin American Literature

This module explores a diverse range of Latin American literatures - including works from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. It will offer an historical account of the emergence and development of these national literatures, while also focusing on some of the major social and political issues they address. Of particular interest will be the transcultural 'contact zone' created by colonialism, the ideological and socioeconomic consequences of slavery, and the enduring conflict between tradition and modernity. We will also be discussing the early chronicles of discovery and conquest, the significance of magical realism as a mode of representation, and the subgenre of the dictator novel.