This book presents a selection of fourteen provocative and unique essays bringing together the views of exciting new scholarship on narratives and cultural identity in Latin America. In so doing, it balances theory, methodology, and description. The offerings in this volume deliver a clarion mix of original voices and cutting-edge approaches to the exploration of the topics, which reflect diverse perspectives on Latin American culture and literature. The contributions feature analyses of Latin American oral tradition, cultural identity, memory construction, storytelling, literary truth-claims, myth, autobiography, cultural policy and history, folk art and cinema. List of Illustrations vii Acknowledgments ix 1. Introduction IRENE MARIA F. BLAYER and MARK CRONLUND ANDERSON 1(8) 2. Story-Telling and Cultural Identity in Latin America MARIO J. VALDES 9(19) 3. The Mexican Corrido: Identity Configurations, Time, and Truth Claims DANIEL F. CHAMBERLAIN 28(11) 4. Two Radical Storytellers for the Young (and) Old MARTHA J. NANDORFY 39(23) 5. History after History's End: Cultural Reconstruction in Margarita, está linda la mar STEPHEN HENIGHAN 62 6. Narratives of Trauma from the Southern Cone YVONNE S. UNNOLD 15(79) 7. Rethinking Transculturation and Hybridity: An Andean Perspective ELIZABETH MONASTERIOS 94(17) 8. Metaphoric Narration in Mesoamerican Tradition ELENA M. DE COSTA 111(13) 9. The Dreadren and the Message: Of Martyrdom and Mythopoiesis in Caribbean Literature JEROME BRANCHE 124(29) 10. Créole, culture et oralité aux Antilles françaises DIANA RAMASSAMY 153(10) 11. Clarice Lispector's A Hora da Estrela: Through the Lens of Suzana Amaral CRISTINA SANTOS 163(17) 12. Métamorphose volatile de l'âme du guerrier: une croyance mythique dans le Mexique ancien MARIE CHOMPRE SAUTRON 180(21) 13. O baetatá existe realmente? VANDERCI DE ANDRADE AGUILERA 201(16) 14. El mito de la conspiración en el imaginario politico de los periódicos de Bahía Blanca (Provincia de Buenos Aires) durante el primer gobierno radical (1916-1922) LAURA LLULL 217(15) 15. The Legend of La Llorona: Excavating and (Re)Interpreting the Archetype of the Creative/Fertile Feminine Force MARIA L. FIGUEREDO 232(13) List of Contributors 245(5) Index 250