Los pasos lejanos

Mi padre duerme. Su semblante augusto figura un apacible corazón; está ahora tan dulce… si hay algo en él de amargo, seré yo. Hay soledad en el hogar; se reza; y no hay noticias de los hijos hoy. Mi padre se despierta, ausculta la huida a Egipto, el restañante adiós. Está ahora tan cerca; si … More Los pasos lejanos

Research Wednesday

I am looking for negative reviews of Doris Sommer, Foundational Fictions. If I do not find more by using Web of Knowledge and the MLA Bibliography I will call a reference librarian. I have already found an interesting one by Nancy Vogeley, in Modern Philology 91:3 (February 1994): 390-394. Danny Anderson has a review essay … More Research Wednesday

The South really is different, and not in a good way…

A person with any kind of authority assumes it means dictatorial power and cannot believe it if anyone stands up to them. That is the South for you, although when there is opposition it is particularly valiant. I am passing my committee role on to someone else and the committee chair is requiring a meeting between … More The South really is different, and not in a good way…

Miguel Primo de Rivera

This dictator of Spain from 1923 to 1930 was a count, a marquis and a knight. An interesting Hispanist said he came from “a hard-drinking, whoring, horse-loving aristocracy” that ruled “over the most starved and down-trodden race of agricultural labourers in Europe,” and I got that quotation from Wikipedia. I was reading about Primo de Rivera … More Miguel Primo de Rivera

Vision, race, and the state in modern Latin American literature

For purposes of “touching work” today I am reproducing the kernel of my proto-book proposal. These ideas are to orient the article and proto-chapter I am about to write, “The darker side of mestizaje.” (Yes, I am playing on Mignolo’s classic book title and on the idea of the dark side of the Enlightenment which … More Vision, race, and the state in modern Latin American literature

Thomas Morley

A madrigal from 1594: April is in my mistress’ face, / And July in her eyes hath place. . . . This is a very good ensemble, and you should listen to the recording. Axé.

Clément Janequin

Here is a May song, well sung. Listen to what appear to be period accents. La casa de Bernarda Alba is a May play. Rowdy youth spends the night and part of the day out gathering flowers, and Adela wears a green dress. Maypoles are remnants of ancient tree-worship. What else do we know about … More Clément Janequin