Reviews the use of humor in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Black Creole Jamaican literature and song. Concludes that irony is inherent in the creative expression of early Jamaicans and writers about Jamaica, arising from inconsistencies of attitudes of Blacks toward Whites and toward themselves. (FMW)

Special issue dedicated to studies on contemporary Spanish American literature. (DS)

Discusses how literature can facilitate students' appreciation of the multifaceted Hispanic culture. Offers advice on merging Hispanic literature and literacy instruction, organizing children's books by category to help structure classroom activities, exploring themes and cultural concepts, and integrating literacy/thinking strategies with…

Describes a U.S. literature course and a comparative literature course that focuses on Asian, African, Canadian, Caribbean, and Latin American literature. Asserts that students need to be aware of the European impact on the U.S. identity, even where it is unpleasant. Discusses the magical realism in the distinct artistic vision of Latin America.…

This paper contains bibliographies of Latin American fiction and classroom applications for use in a 3-week unit in an introduction to fiction class. Section 1 discusses background research, selection of materials, choice of authors, translation issues, and plans for future study and course development. Section 2 contains an annotated bibliography…

Discusses the study of literatures, cultures, and languages of people of color in the United States and Canada. Considers recruitment, mentoring, and evaluation of junior faculty members of color. Presents guidelines which are designed to assist departments that have not yet adopted or are in the process of developing such procedures. (SG)

Offers advice for public librarians serving a Puerto Rican population regarding selection of appropriate material, outreach to the community, and detailed programming for a Latino Heritage Week. An extensive resource list for librarians seeking appropriate children's books and professional materials is included. (GR)

College faculty who teach writing courses might find an examination of early religious literature helpful when trying to explain "writing for an audience" or "audience awareness" to their students. The Jesuit priest who preached to and wrote for the Indians in Brazil during the early colonial period, Jose de Anchieta, is a…

Explores Afra-Hispanic literature, the writing of black Spanish-speaking women of the Caribbean and Central and South America. The literary texts of Afra-Hispanic women reveal an emerging feminist consciousness. A more detailed analysis is given of the poetry of Virginia Brindis de Salas and Aida Cartagena Portalatin. (SLD)

This book features scholarly criticism on works by 19 famous authors, such as N. Scott Momaday, James Welch, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, Amy Tan, and more. These authors' works are widely taught, but little critical comment is yet available about them. Written specifically for instructors in literature courses,…

Awareness of a new and altered method of teaching literature, similar to that described by Adrienne Rich, grew from the experience of teaching a small introductory course in twentieth century Hispanic women writers to students with diverse language, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Although about half the students were native Spanish speakers,…

This journal publishes scholarly articles on all aspects of language pedagogy, linguistics, foreign cultures and languages, and comparative, classical, and foreign (Asian, French, German, Italian, Luso-Brazilian, Scandinavian, Slavic, Spanish, and Spanish American) literatures. It is published annually, based exclusively on a representative number…

Measures ownership of and access to African American and Latino periodical literature, illustrating the successes and failures in promoting racial and ethnic diversity in research libraries belonging to the ARL (Association of Research Libraries). Discusses desirability of multicultural collections; bibliographic control and access issues; and…

New multicultural anthologies too often end up looking suspiciously like the color palate of a paint-by-numbers kit. Canonical tokenism is quickly seen as a ruse by minority students and teachers who are circumspect and adept at uncovering counterfeits. As an alternative to tokenism, one recommendation is to use Patricia Bizzell's "contact…

Intended to aid teachers, librarians, and others in the selection of Spanish-language books for children in grades K-12, the annotated guide includes books by Hispanic authors which highlight the lifestyle, folklore, heroes, history, fiction, poetry, theatre, and classical literature of Hispanic cultures. Most books included in the guide have been…