Bending Chicano Identity and Experience in Arturo Islas's Early Borderland Short Stories
Keywords:
Chicano literature, Arturo Islas, borderland identity, narrative technique, cultural critiqueAbstract
This article analyzes the early short stories of Arturo Islas, a pivotal figure in Chicano/a literature. The paper explores how Islas's works, particularly his short stories, serve as a means of recovering and redefining Chicano identity and experience. The author contends that Islas's narrative techniques destabilize traditional boundaries, reflecting the complex landscape of Chicano/a life along the U.S./Mexico border. This study examines Islas's personal struggles with illness and identity, which are intricately woven into his fiction. The article demonstrates how Islas's works critique economic exploitation and racial divisions, offering a nuanced portrayal of borderland existence. By investigating Islas's early stories, this work investigates the evolution of his literary voice and its enduring significance in Chicano/a letters.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
References
Aldama, Frederick Luis. Arturo Islas: The Uncollected Works. Houston: Arte Público Press, forthcoming, 2003.
-----. Dancing with Ghosts: A Critical Biography of Arturo Islas, Berkeley: University of California Press, forthcoming.
Islas, Arturo. The Rain God. A Desert Tale. Palo Alto, California: Alexandrian Press, 1984.
-----. Migrant Souls. New York: Morrow, 1990.
-----. La Mollie and the King of Tears. (Edited with foreword by Paul Skenazy). Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1999.
Limón, José. American Encounters: Greater Mexico, the United States, and the Erotics of Culture. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999.
