| Part of a series on | ||||||||
| Chicanos andMexican Americans | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||
Literature
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
Visual art
| ||||||||
Chicano literature is an aspect ofMexican-American literature that emerged from thecultural consciousness developed in theChicano Movement.[1][2] Chicano literature formed out of the political and cultural struggle ofChicana/os to develop a political foundation andidentity that rejectedAnglo-American hegemony.[1][3] This literature embraced thepre-Columbian roots of Mexican-Americans, especially those who identify as Chicana/os.[3][4]
Chicano literature first emerged in the mid-1960s and is notable for its early embrace ofSpanglish in published literature as well as its use of hybrid forms and styles.[2][5] Chicana/o writers often include earlier published literature as residing within or as being a precursor to the tradition.[6][7] In addition toprose,Chicano poetry andplaywriting are included as forms of Chicano literature.[3][5]
.jpg)
Chicanoprose was established as a distinct literary tradition in the mid-1960s.[1]José Antonio Villarreal’sPocho (1959) is commonly cited as the first widespread Chicano novel.[3] Poets and writers in the 1960s defined themselves in their own terms, different from thewhite Anglo-Saxon protestant gaze that, as written byAlurista, sought to "keep Mexicans in their place."[8]
The first publishing house dedicated to Chicana/o writers wasQuinto Sol, which was established in 1967 by Andres Ybarra, Nick Vaca, and Octavio Romano.[1] Early works which became benchmark's in the field of Chicano literature wereTomás Rivera’s...y no se lo trago la tierra (1971) andRudolfo Anaya'sBless Me, Ultima (1972).[1]Bless Me, Ultima used colloquialSpanglish in its linguistic form and inspired others to develop their own approach to Chicana/o themes.[2] Anaya is sometimes cited as the 'father' of Chicano literature.[9]
In a 1979 essay on Chicano literature,Arnulfo D. Trejo wrote that this literature was important in establishing a unique self-image for the Chicano: "the Chicano self-portrait is long overdue."[3] Trejo outline six qualities of the Chicano novel or narrative fiction:[3]
By these criteria, in 1977 he named the following works as examples of Chicanonovels:Chicano (1970) byRichard Vasquez, Rivera's...y no se lo trago la tierra (1971), (3) Anaya'sBless Me, Ultima (1972), andPeregrinos de Aztlán (1974) byMiguel Méndez.[3] Aside from narrative fiction, other notable works includedAbelardo Delgado's poetry in25 Pieces of a Chicano Mind (1969),[5]Oscar Zeta Acosta's autobiographiesThe Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo (1972) andThe Revolt of the Cockroach People (1973).[10] In 1977, Trejo acknowledged that there was an "omission of Chicano women in Chicano literature."[3]
Chicana literature is a form ofliterature that has emerged from theChicana Feminist movement. It aims to redefineChicanaarchetypes, in an effort to provide positive models for Chicanas. Chicana writers redefine their relationships with whatGloria Anzaldúa has called "Las Tres Madres" of Mexican culture (i.e.Our Lady of Guadalupe,La Malinche, andLa Llorona), by depicting them as feminist sources of strength and compassion.[11]
According to theEncyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Society, "Chicana feminist writings helped to develop a discourse in opposition to the Eurocentric frameworks." Chicana writing grew out of Chicana feminism, through the feminist journals founded since the 1960s – one of which led toNorma Alarcón'sThird Woman Press, the assertions of Chicana feminism in essays, and the portrayal of the gender crisis in the Chicano Movement in the poetry and fiction of Chicana authors.[12]
In the 1960s and 1970s, Chicano literature tended to primarily focus on a connection withAztec history andculture, particularly through the homeland ofAztlán.[4] One exception wasPensamiento Serpentino (1973) byLuis Valdez, which drew on theMayan concept ofIn Lak'ech ("you are the other me").[13]
Later developments in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly by Chicana authors, began to expand this focus to include many differentIndigenous peoples of Mexico and connected to their struggles.[4] Novels byEstela Portillo-Trambley andGraciela Limón referencedRarámuri ancestry.[4]Lucha Corpi and others referencedYaqui ancestry.[4]Ana Castillo and Chicano poetJuan Felipe Herrera have referencedMayan ancestry and themes in their work.[4]
Chicanoprose is unique as a literary tradition for its strong embrace ofhybridity in both its form and style. This often meant the inclusion or embrace ofSpanish orSpanglish, the use of themes related tomagical realism, and a integration of different literary genres into one work, such asfiction andautobiography.[2][3]
Chicano poetry is asubgenre of Chicano literature that stems from thecultural consciousness developed in theChicano Movement.[14] Chicano poetry has its roots in thereclamation ofChicana/o as an identity of empowerment rather than denigration.[15][16] As a literary field, Chicano poetry emerged in the 1960s and formed its own independent literary current and voice.[14][17]
Chicano playwriting emerged in the 1960s firstly through the work ofLuis Valdez withTeatro Campesino.[3] Chicano playwriting emerged with a dedication to thefarmworker's political struggle for rights.[3] Valdez himself stated: "We don’t think in terms of art," but in terms of message to the audience.[3] By 1973, there were about thirty Chicano theater groups, includingTeatro de la Esperanza underJorge A. Huerta.[3]
Chicano literature is therefore written by a group of people who identify with the political, cultural, and social Chicano movement... to document the history of Chicano consciousness in the United States... Chicano literature then becomes a response and counter-narrative to the hegemony of American literature that excluded ethnic voices not germane to the Anglo-American literary heritage.
Although "Chicano" and "Mexican-American" are often used interchangeably, the former indicates an added political sensibility; an asserted self-awareness of a cultural identity that cannot be separated from social and material struggles for equality and inclusion.
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)