Hi there, my name is Ben. A little about me is that I’m in the 4th year of my combined English Language and Literature degree and this is my last term (yay!). I’m hoping to apply to law schools after I graduate; however, the plan is to take a year off before I do this, mostly just to have a break from school and also to have more time to study for the LSAT.

This final term is all electives for me, so I chose the courses that interested me the most. As someone with basically no background in reading literature from Latin American authors, I figured now would be as good a time as any to expand my knowledge of the region. Also, courses such as this always provide me with new authors and genres for me to appreciate long after they’re finished. If it’s not obvious, I enjoy reading a lot, so I’ve selected a longer reading list so as to get a more complete sense of what the various parts of Latin American offer in a literary sense.

In terms of what to expect, I really have no idea. As I’ve already said, I have no history of reading any Latin American literature. I do, however, have what could be called the basic impression of literature from Latin America in that it’s where I believe magical realism comes from. From the way Dr. Beasley-Murray discussed that topic in his first lecture, I don’t believe that that impression will be very relevant to this course. Possibly when we read One Hundred Years of Solitude. Besides that surface-level association, I have little to no expectations of the kinds of literature we will be reading. I also do not have extensive historical knowledge of the region. I know the basic broad strokes but could not say that I can definitively separate issues that pertain to individual cultures and groups that reside in Latin America. In a sense, this is good because I believe our readings will be a very interesting way to learn about and engage with these diverse cultures and narratives. Dr. Beasley-Murray said in his lecture that we are not to treat this class as though we are solely learning the history behind these texts. As someone who has little knowledge of that history, I appreciate that perspective as it opens up the texts to be analyzed through a more modern lens.

Questions: Since I know nothing about Latin American literature, does anyone have any recommendations for stuff that isn’t on the syllabus but still worth reading?