具体描述
This volume of essays marks the fifteenth year of archival and critical work conducted under the auspices of the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project at the University of Houston. This ongoing and comprehensive program seeks to locate, identify, preserve, and disseminate the literary contributions of U.S. Latinos from the Spanish Colonial Period to contemporary times. The contributors explore key issues and challenges in this project, such as the issue of its legitimacy and acceptance in teh academic canon, whether the basic archival phase of the Recovery Project is complete, and if teh assumption that there is widespread recognition of the existence and vitality of a centuries-long U.S. Hispanic literary tradition may be premature and perhaps imprudent. Originally presented at the biennial conferences of the Recovery project, the essays are divided in five sections: "Rethinking Latino/a Subject Positions," "Negotiating Cultural Authority and the Canon," "Orality, Performance, and the Archive," "Re-Contextualizing Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton," and "Bibliographic Reports." Covering a wide range of topics, essays include "Bending Chicano Identity and Experience in Arturo Isla's Early Borderland Short Stories," "Recovering Mexican America in the Classroom," and "Early New Mexican Criticism: The Case of Breve Resena de la literatura hispana de Nuevo Mexico y Colorado." In their introduction, editors Kenya Dworkin y Mendez and Agnes Lugo-Ortiz give an overview of the editorial framing of the previous volumes in the series and discuss the significant research issues and agendas raised over the past fifteen years. This volume, like the ones that precede it, is bilingual, confirming the cultural politics that have animated the Recovery Project since its inception: the understanding that the U.S. is a complex multicultural and multilingual society.
失落的篇章：重塑美国西班牙裔文学的记忆与传承 在美国波澜壮阔的历史画卷中，西班牙裔社群的声音如同被遗忘的旋律，在岁月的洪流中时而微弱，时而激昂。他们的文学遗产，承载着独特的文化视角、深刻的社会洞察和不屈的精神力量，却长期以来被主流叙事所忽视，甚至被边缘化。本书《Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage》并非一本陈述既定事实的史书，而是一场意义深远的考古发掘，一次对被遮蔽记忆的勇敢追寻。它致力于将那些散落在时间缝隙中的文学瑰宝重新发掘、整理、研究，并以鲜活的生命力呈现在世人面前，从而重塑我们对美国文学全景的认知，也为理解今日美国社会的多元性提供更为坚实的基础。 本书的研究范畴极其宏大，它所聚焦的“美国西班牙裔文学遗产”是一个动态且包容的概念。它不仅仅局限于某个特定历史时期或某个地理区域，而是跨越了数百年，从早期殖民地时期西班牙语文本的出现，到十九世纪墨西哥战争后的墨西哥裔美国人书写，再到二十世纪初古巴、波多黎各、多米尼加等不同背景的移民及其后代的文学创作，乃至当代日益壮大的拉丁美洲移民社群在语言和主题上的持续创新。这种跨越性的视角，揭示了美国西班牙裔文学并非单一的声音，而是由不同族群、不同文化、不同时代的声音汇聚而成的交响乐。 在内容上，本书并非简单地罗列文学作品，而是深入挖掘这些文本背后的历史语境、社会动因和文化意涵。例如，早期西班牙语在北美大陆的足迹，其文献不仅是语言传播的证据，更是早期定居者生活、信仰、与原住民互动的生动记录。这些文本，常常被现代读者视为古老的史料，但它们所蕴含的对土地的依恋、对信仰的虔诚、对生存的挣扎，与当代任何移民群体的感受都息息相关，构成了美国大陆最早的文学根基之一。 进入十九世纪，特别是墨西哥战争之后，美国版图的扩张直接改变了墨西哥裔美国人的身份认同和生存境遇。本书将详细审视这一时期墨西哥裔作家（如马里亚诺·古埃瓦斯·鲁伊兹（Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo）的某些历史记录，或是当时报刊上以西班牙语刊载的关于土地权利、公民权益的讨论）的作品。这些文本，虽然可能以散文、诗歌、戏剧或政治宣言的形式出现，却记录了在一个新兴国家中，一群人如何在失去家园、面临文化冲突和歧视的现实下，努力维护自己的身份、争取平等权利的历程。他们的书写，是对“美国梦”的审视，也是对自身民族记忆的坚守。 二十世纪，拉丁美洲移民潮的涌入，为美国西班牙裔文学注入了新的活力和更多元的色彩。本书将目光投向古巴革命后的古巴裔美国人，他们带来的关于流亡、乡愁、身份撕裂与重塑的文学。从曼努埃尔·皮格（Manuel Puig）的实验性小说，到后来的许多年轻一代作家的作品，都深刻反映了在异国他乡追寻身份认同的复杂情感。同样，波多黎各人在纽约等地的“内陆流亡”（internal exile）经历，其文学作品中对殖民主义遗留问题、种族歧视、文化融合与抵抗的描绘，构成了美国语境下独特的“大西洋彼岸”叙事。多米尼加裔美国人的文学，则常常聚焦于家庭、社区、贫困、暴力以及在两种文化夹缝中的成长经历。 本书的研究方法是严谨且富有创新性的。它借鉴了文学批评、历史学、社会学、人类学等多个学科的理论工具，旨在提供一种多层次、跨学科的解读。研究人员不仅从文本的语言风格、叙事技巧、主题思想等方面进行分析，更重要的是，他们努力将这些文本放置于更广阔的社会、政治、经济和文化背景中进行考察。例如，对于某些难以获取的、以手稿形式存在的早期文献，本书将详细阐述其发掘过程、保存状况以及研究的挑战。对于那些主要以口头形式流传的叙事，本书则会探讨如何将其转化为文字，以及这种转化过程本身所带来的意义。 本书的另一个核心目标是“恢复”和“建构”一种对美国西班牙裔文学的全面认知。这不仅仅是对已知作品的重新审视，更是对那些被遗忘、被低估、甚至从未被认真对待过的作家和作品的重新发现。它将揭示，长期以来，美国文学史的叙述是多么不完整，它如何有意无意地忽略了构成美国社会肌理的重要组成部分。通过引入和分析大量鲜为人知的作品，本书将挑战主流文学史的中心化论调，拓宽我们对“美国文学”的定义，使其更加包容和真实。 Furthermore, this volume explores the thematic richness and stylistic diversity that characterize U.S. Hispanic literature. The themes examined are as varied as the experiences of the people who penned them: the enduring bonds of family and community, the agonizing tensions of cultural hybridity, the search for belonging in a land of immigrants, the legacy of colonialism and its impact on identity, the struggles against poverty and social injustice, the exploration of spirituality and faith, and the complex negotiation of gender roles within traditional and evolving societal structures. Stylistically, the works span from lyrical poetry and powerful narratives to biting satire and experimental prose, often blending Spanish and English in innovative ways, a linguistic dance that reflects the lived realities of bilingual and bicultural individuals. The methodological approach is characterized by a deep commitment to archival research and textual analysis, but it extends beyond mere academic rigor. The authors and editors of this volume actively engage with the concept of "re-memorying" – the conscious effort to retrieve and revitalize cultural narratives that have been suppressed or forgotten. This involves not only the scholarly examination of texts but also an appreciation for the cultural context in which these works were created and consumed. The volume highlights the importance of oral traditions, community storytelling, and the role of literary societies and publications in preserving and disseminating Hispanic literary heritage, especially in periods when formal publishing avenues were limited. Moreover, the book delves into the challenges faced by Hispanic writers throughout American history, from issues of translation and misinterpretation to the pervasive effects of racism and xenophobia that have often relegated their work to the margins of the literary establishment. By bringing these works to the forefront, the volume aims to correct historical omissions and to foster a greater appreciation for the unique contributions of U.S. Hispanic writers to the broader American literary landscape. It argues that understanding this literature is not merely an academic exercise but is essential for comprehending the full spectrum of American identity and experience. In essence, "Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage" is an invitation to embark on a journey of discovery. It is a call to listen to the voices that have long been silenced, to read the stories that have been overlooked, and to recognize the profound and multifaceted ways in which Hispanic literature has shaped and continues to shape the cultural and intellectual fabric of the United States. It is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, the enduring power of storytelling, and the vital importance of preserving and celebrating the diverse literary heritage that enriches the American narrative. This endeavor is not simply about excavating the past; it is about understanding the present and building a more inclusive and representative future for American literature.
