LATIN-AMERICAN LITERATURE

Latin was the first language of the people of ancient Rome. Latin was spread throughout, when Roman power overtook the Italian Penisula. It became the spoken language of the Western part of the Empire. Latin is the root of many romance languages such as: Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanion, Provencal, Catalan, and Romanism.

1200 B.C., the Italian Penisula was introduced to a new culture and speakers of a common language began to migrate all over Northern Italy. Latin became the root of many more languages.

Latin-American literature is the literature of the Spanish speaking counties and the Portuguese speaking Brazil. It also includes the writings of the Indian civilizations that existed there.

The earliest Latin-American writing were historical and geographical accounts of exployers and settlers of the New World.

Latin-American literature paralleled European literature somewhat in the 16th and 17th centuries since many colonial settlers were from that region and they maintained close ties with their homeland.

The Mexican Revolution prompted a social conscience in the early 1900s and the literature reflected the problems and concerns of the general population.

Latin-American literature has become more universaly accepted for its themes and symbols and has slowly become a norm of Western literature. The consistent themes in Latin-American literature are psychological analysis and interplay of fantasy and reality.

You can access a brief critique of two Latin-American short stories. Simply click on BORGES for a summary of THE AELPH or simply click on CORTAZAR for a summary of AXOLOTL.