Reading north by south

by Neil Larsen

"Seminal work deals with the import and political consequences of the most influential approaches to the study of Latin American literature in the US. Chief virtue resides in scholarly method: a deep investigation of the theoretical foundations of major contributions. Essays demonstrate how many important approaches lack theoretical rigor due to a failure to investigate the philosophical grounding of the ideas deployed in the literary studies. A crucial book for serious critics. Absolutely required for all work on the boom and critical approaches that brought it about and maintain it; as well as for colonial discourse, testimonio, hegemony and ideology, and 'invention' approaches"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58.