Developments

‘Developments: Encounters of Formation in the Latin American and Hispanic/Latino Bildungsroman,’ a notable contribution for students and scholars of Latin American, Brazilian, Hispanic and Latino literature, explores a significant but overlooked area in the literary production of the twentieth century: the connections between development and the narrative of formation after World War II. Recognizing development as a discursive construction that shapes significantly modern national identity in Latin America, Alejandro Latinez argues that its ideals and narrative relate to the Bildungsroman genre – the narrative of formation or development. The study presents a historical background of similar ideals of development in Latin America as well as reflects on a seminal philosophical interplay about youth and modern national identity between the Mexican authors Samuel Ramos and Octavio Paz. Furthermore, it examines Mario Vargas Llosa's 1963 ‘La ciudad y los perros,’ José Lezama Lima's 1966 ‘Paradiso,’ a selection from Clarice Lispector's 1960 and 1964 short narratives, and Elena Poniatowska's 1971 testimony ‘La noche de Tlatelolco.’ The narrative experience in the United States is analyzed in Sandra Cisnero's 1984 ‘The House on Mango Street’ and Esmeralda Santiago's 1993 ‘When I Was Puerto Rican.’