Gloria Anzaldúa
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Hospitable Imaginations: Contemporary Latino/a Literature and the Pursuit of a Readership DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Christopher Thomas Gonzalez, M.A. Graduate Program in English The Ohio State University 2012 Dissertation Committee: Professor Frederick Luis Aldama, Director Professor David Herman Professor Brian McHale Professor Manuel Luis Martinez Copyright by Christopher Thomas Gonzalez 2012 Abstract The rise of Latino/a literature in the US has been fraught with difficulties that stem from matters of publication and audience. These difficulties, such as the often limited expectations publishers have for the forms Latino/a literature may take, have resulted in significant constraints on the development of this literary tradition. Despite these constraints, Latino/a authors have steadily worked to expand audience expectations by attending to narrative design and creating challenging reading situations—moments in which audiences are not only presented with a cognitively-challenging reading experience, but are also challenged to broaden its understanding of the forms Latino/a literature may take. Rather than compose their narratives with an actual audience in mind, many Latino/a authors sought to write for an ideal audience capable of engaging with even the most complex storyworlds. In essence, Latino/a authors, through their writings, invited actual audiences to break from their narrow expectations. My selected Latino/a texts reveal the narrative strategies used to challenge audiences, and also demonstrate how these challenges were received by actual audiences. Hospitable Imaginations explores how challenging reading situations have shaped Latino/a literature over the course of its development. I contend that early in the publication history of Latino fiction, publishers insisted on Latino/a writers foregrounding what were thought to be narrative modes and thematics endemic to Latinos themselves, while in more recent years publishers have placed more of a premium on ii immersive storytelling—on the telling of stories that have the power to capture, and retain, the imaginations of the broadest possible readership. Focusing on Latino/a texts written from the late 1960s to the present, I show how authors such as Oscar “Zeta” Acosta, Gloria Anzaldúa, Piri Thomas, Giannina Braschi, Sandra Cisneros, Junot Díaz, and Gilbert Hernandez have worked to create a sophisticated readership through narrative features such as consciousness representation, bilingualism, code-switching, serialization, and intertextual/paratextual play. iii For Ginger iv Acknowledgments So many people have played a crucial role in the development of this project: some without realizing it; some while knowing all too well. My committee is almost too good to be true. Frederick, David, Brian, and Manny: you are a dream team. I am indebted to your kindness, honesty, and insight throughout the entire process. The patience with which you have handled my questions and requests has established the standard I wish to uphold as a scholar and teacher. Frederick, from the moment we met you have done nothing but encourage me and my work. David, your energy and enthusiasm have often left me speechless. Brian, you have shown me what true critical inquiry should look like. Manny, I am inspired by your commitment to creating storyworlds. But most of all, I am so grateful to all of you for the friendship we have established thus far. I look forward to the further development of our friendship in the years to come. I have had the pleasure of being positively influenced by several professors during my time at Ohio State University. Adélékè Adé k , James Phelan, and Elizabeth Renker have presided over some of the most amazing courses I have ever taken as a graduate student. Each of you has provided me with several key moments in my development as a scholar, and I wish to express to each of you my sincere appreciation. v I also wish to thank several people whose friendship and hospitality made the rigors of graduate school easier: Amber Camus, Hye Su Park, Patrick Potyondy, Jesse T. Potts, Theresa Rojas, Samuel Saldivar III, and Yolanda Zepeda. Special thanks to L.A.S.E.R. (Latino/Latin American Space for Enrichment and Research) for bringing so many excellent scholars to OSU to speak and share their work. Two of these invited speakers specifically impacted my work: José David Saldívar and Ilan Stavans. I am indebted to José for our conversation regarding Junot Díaz. Speaking to Ilan about Oscar “Zeta” Acosta was more amazing than I can express. Portions of this project were presented at several conferences. Part of chapter 3 concerning Piri Thomas was presented at the 2012 International Conference on Narrative in Las Vegas. Some of chapter 4 on Gilbert Hernandez and issues of seriality was presented at the 2011 MLA Convention in Los Angeles. Finally, a section of chapter 5 on Sandra Cisneros’s use of footnotes and intertexts was given as a talk at the 2012 MELUS conference in San Jose. I wish to give tremendous thanks for the audience members who provided stimulating questions and suggestions for further consideration. The Dean’s Graduate Enrichment (DGE) Fellowship provided me with first-year and dissertation-year support. I wish to thank the Graduate School at The Ohio State University for this invaluable aid that enabled my completion of the PhD program in just three years. My most heartfelt gratitude is reserved for my wife. Ginger, perhaps only you understand the significance of what this project represents. You can appreciate this journey that we have traveled together, and you have the benefit of being able to see vi exactly how far we have come. I could not have done this without you. Thank you for reminding me that I needed to be equal parts husband, father, and scholar. I have tried to uphold my end of the bargain by working as tirelessly and diligently as I could. Most of all, I could not have done this without your selflessness and willingness to put our life on hold for a few years. Someday, we will tell Olivia and Emilia why their daddy was always on the computer with piles of books all around him. I hope they will understand. vii Vita 1998................................................................B.S. Psychology, Sam Houston State University Minor: English 2008................................................................M.A. English, Texas A&M University- Commerce 2009 to present ..............................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of English, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: English viii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Vita ................................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1—Introduction: Reading Latino/a Literature....................................................... 1 Chapter 2— Buffalos and New Mestizas: Consciousness and Audience in Chicano/a Literature ........................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 3— Translingual Minds, Narrative Encounters: Reading Challenges in Piri Thomas’s Down These Mean Streets and Giannina Braschi’s Yo-Yo Boing! ................... 91 Chapter 4— In Graphic Detail: Challenges of Time and Memory in the Storyworlds of Los Bros Hernandez ........................................................................................................ 150 Chapter 5—Paratextual Play: Intertextual Interventions in Sandra Cisneros’s Caramelo and Junot Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao .............................................. 204 Chapter 6—Conclusion: The Possibilities of Narrative in Latino/a Literature .............. 264 References ....................................................................................................................... 273 ix List of Figures Figure 1: The Opening of "The Laughing Sun" .............................................................. 173 Figure 2: The Aftermath ................................................................................................. 174 Figure 3: Jesús’s Fugue State .......................................................................................... 175 Figure 4: Vicente Reminisces ......................................................................................... 176 Figure 5: Memories as Textual Cues .............................................................................. 177 Figure 6: Jesús Confronts His Tortured Mind ................................................................ 179 Figure 7: Gilbert’s Eighteen-panel Strategy ................................................................... 181 Figure 8: Jesús’s Hallucinations ..................................................................................... 183 Figure 9: Intrusive Narration .......................................................................................... 184 Figure 10: Alternatives to Luba .....................................................................................