The Feminist Encyclopedia of Spanish Literature: [2 volumes]

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Description

Spanish literature includes some of the world's greatest works and authors and is one of the most widely studied. Like all literatures, it reflects the culture that engendered it. Because Spain has thrived for centuries and has witnessed enormous social and cultural changes, its literature is particularly diverse. So too, the role of women in Spanish society has changed radically since the Middle Ages, and modern authors portray women very differently than their predecessors did. This reference approaches the literature of Spain from a women's studies perspective and illuminates the changing roles of women in Spanish society. Included are hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries for numerous topics related to Spanish literature, including literary periods and genres, significant characters and character types, major authors and works, and various specialized topics. Each entry discusses how the topic relates to women's studies. Thus, entries for male authors discuss their attitude toward women, entries for female writers consider the restrictive cultural contexts in which they wrote, and entries for specific works examine their representation of female characters and their handling of women's issues. Entries are written by expert contributors and close with brief bibliographies, and the volume concludes with a list of works for further reading. Though the volume focuses on the literature of Spain written in Castilian, it also includes survey entries on the present state of women's literature in Catalan, Galician, and Basque.

Reviews

"Scholars and casual investigators will find themselves delightfully engaged with the lively prose of this specialized two-volume encyclopedia....[t]his handsome two-volume set (including an introduction, addenda, and index) will be a central gem in any private library. Any college or university with programs in either women's studies or Spanish language, literature, and culture will find it indispensable."-ForeWord Magazine
[A]nyone who takes the time to read several of the entries will begin to get a feel for the associations between Spanish literature and feminist concerns.-Feminist Collections
[C]ontains highly informative and critically suggestive entries on both real and fictitious Spanish women....this encyclopedia is a valuable reference work.-Times Literary Supplement
[C]ontains useful and unique information for women's studies and comparative literature collections in all academic libraries.-Library Journal
[F]or most reference collections this compendium of information about a neglected literature would be welcome or even necessary. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.-Choice
[T]his comprehensive survey will add depth to any literature collection and is particularly recommended for academic libraries.-Lawrence Looks at Books
For academic libraries and public libraries with large literature collections, this will be an invaluable reference source on a topic where there is very little information in English.-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
Scholars and casual investigators will find themselves delightfully engaged with the lively prose of this specialized two-volume encyclopedia....[t]his handsome two-volume set (including an introduction, addenda, and index) will be a central gem in any private library. Any college or university with programs in either women's studies or Spanish language, literature, and culture will find it indispensable.-ForeWord Magazine
This set will be accesible to advanced high school students with some familiarity with Spanish literature and history.-School Library Journal
"Anyone who takes the time to read several of the entries will begin to get a feel for the associations between Spanish literature and feminist concerns."-Feminist Collections
"Contains highly informative and critically suggestive entries on both real and fictitious Spanish women....this encyclopedia is a valuable reference work."-Times Literary Supplement
"Contains useful and unique information for women's studies and comparative literature collections in all academic libraries."-Library Journal
"For most reference collections this compendium of information about a neglected literature would be welcome or even necessary. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty."-Choice
"This comprehensive survey will add depth to any literature collection and is particularly recommended for academic libraries."-Lawrence Looks at Books
"[A]nyone who takes the time to read several of the entries will begin to get a feel for the associations between Spanish literature and feminist concerns."-Feminist Collections
"[C]ontains highly informative and critically suggestive entries on both real and fictitious Spanish women....this encyclopedia is a valuable reference work."-Times Literary Supplement
"[C]ontains useful and unique information for women's studies and comparative literature collections in all academic libraries."-Library Journal
"[F]or most reference collections this compendium of information about a neglected literature would be welcome or even necessary. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty."-Choice
"[T]his comprehensive survey will add depth to any literature collection and is particularly recommended for academic libraries."-Lawrence Looks at Books
"For academic libraries and public libraries with large literature collections, this will be an invaluable reference source on a topic where there is very little information in English."-Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin
"This set will be accesible to advanced high school students with some familiarity with Spanish literature and history."-School Library Journal

Author Bio

JANET PEREZ is Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Paul Whitfield Horn Professor of Spanish at Texas Tech University. She is the author, editor, or coeditor of numerous books, including the Dictionary of Literature of the Iberian Peninsula (Greenwood, 1993), and her articles have appeared in such journals as Romance Notes, Studies in Short Fiction, and Kentucky Romance Quarterly. MAUREEN IHRIE is Professor of Spanish at Elon College. Her publications have appeared in numerous journals, and she is the coeditor of Dictionary of Literature of the Iberian Peninsula (Greenwood, 1993).