Paratexts and Performance in the Novels of Junot D燰z and Sandra Cisneros

Part of a new phase of post-1960s U.S. Latino literature, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros both engage in unique networks of paratexts that center on the performance of latinidad. Here, Ellen McCracken re-envisions Gerard Genette's paratexts for the present day, arguing that the Internet increases the range, authorship, and reach of the paratextual portals and that they constitute a key element of the creative process of Latino literary production in 21st century America. This smart and useful book examines how both novelists interact with the interplay of populist and hegemonic multiculturalism and allows new points of entry into these novels.

Ellen McCracken is Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, specializing in U.S. Latino and Latin American literature. Her books include: Decoding Women's Magazines, New Latina Narrative, and The Life and Writing of Fray Angelico Chavez, winner of a Southwest Book Award.