Date of Award
8-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English and Writing Studies
Department
English
First Reader/Committee Chair
Vanessa Ovalle-Perez
Abstract
The 19th century was a time when British and American literatures
flourished greatly. This period is a favorite among students of English
studies and it has produced works that instill a great sense of pride in
British and American readers. However, in the realm of American
literature, there exists an entire body of literature that has been forgotten
to time and archived away. 19th-century Los Angeles was occupied by
Spanish-language newspapers that produced a body of poetry that has
rarely been researched or discussed.
This thesis will be close-reading poetry from 19th-century Angeleno
newspapers, such as El Clamor Público, La Crónica, La Estrella and
several more. It will discuss the poetry of Jesús María Paredes, Manuel
Clemente Rojo and several other anonymous poets. The poetry of 19th-
century Los Angeles discusses many topics, such life, death, love, social
and political criticism, nature and religion. This rich body of work
demonstrates the passion and the multifaceted capabilities of Latinx
writers. Much historical research has been conducted on these poets and
limited print culture that published their works. Unfortunately, very little
literary scholarship exists to discuss these works. One goal of this thesis is
to begin generating literary interpretations of these poems.
But the ultimate goal of this thesis is to postulate that Spanish
language literature in the United States is equally deserving of being
considered American literature. English studies departments in California
are in a unique position to start becoming inclusive of this forgotten piece
of Californian literature and Californian history. Not only does it instill a
sense of local pride, but it instills a sense of pride in Latinx students to
know that they have a literary history in the United States, too.
Recommended Citation
Salazar, Savannah, "An Emerging Voice in United States Literature: 19th-Century Poetry in Los Angeles" (2024). Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations. 2010.
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/2010