Writing the land, writing humanity : the Maya literary renaissance / Charles M. Pigott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pigott, Charles M., author.

Series:

Perspectives on the non-human in literature and culture.

Perspectives on the non-human in literature and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Maya literature--History and criticism.

Maya literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (295 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2020.

Summary:

The Maya Literary Renaissance is a growing yet little-known literary phenomenon that can redefine our understanding of "literature" universally. By analyzing eight representative texts of this new and vibrant literary movement, the book argues that the texts present literature as a trans-species phenomenon that is not reducible only to human creativity. Based on detailed textual analysis of the literature in both Maya and Spanish as well as first-hand conversations with the writers themselves, the book develops the first conceptual map of how literature constantly emerges from wider creative patterns in nature. This process, defined as literary inhabitation, is explained by synthesizing core Maya cultural concepts with diverse philosophical, literary, anthropological and biological theories. In the context of the Yucatan Peninsula, where the texts come from, literary inhabitation is presented as an integral part of bioregional becoming, the evolution of the Peninsula as a constantly unfolding dialogue.

Contents:

Prologue Chapter One: Literary Inhabitation Part One: Lu'um: Writing the Land Chapter Two: My Land Chapter Three: Memories from the Heart of the Forest Chapter Four: They Sing Chapter Five: A Dog's Lament of a Dog's Life Part Two: Wíinik: Writing Humanity Chapter Six: Primordial Fire Chapter Seven: Tales of Old Mother Corn Chapter Eight: The Suffering of My Village and Women of Today Chapter Nine: Grandfather Gregorio: A Maya Sage Epilogue: Towards an Intercultural and Translingual Ecocriticism

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-00-303504-3

1-000-05430-6

1-003-03504-3

9781003035046

OCLC:

1145123502