From the Back Cover
More than an anthology, Momentos cumbres de las literaturas hispanicas offers a new method of teaching literary analysis. Abundant analytical steps (pasos) help students connect with the reading and more fully comprehend the material. Structured around moments of extraordinary literary achievement, Momentos cumbres provides examples from both Spain and Latin America for each literary modality. Some literary history and biographical information are provided in the text and expanded more fully in the accompanying Web site. Highlights Spanish and Spanish-American writers are presented in the same chapter, enabling students to see the cultural links between writers from both sides of the Hispanic world. An emphasis on literary interpretations gives students guidelines to understand the works presented. Carefully thought-out "pasos" accompany each text in the anthology and introduce students to the techniques of literary analysis. The first set of pasos is designed to help students understand the literal meaning of the text; the second set assists students in decoding the subtext of the reading. This two-prong, post-reading pedagogical structure allows instructors to assign the first "pasos" for homework and focus on the second for classroom discussion. Expanded canon includes a section devoted to the feminine voice in Spanish literature and provides students with more balanced coverage. One comprehensive volume provides students with a cost-effective text, as they need only one book for both Spanish and Spanish-American survey courses.

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Structure and features Momentos cumbres de las literaturas hispanicas provides students and their instructors with one, handy collection of Spanish and Spanish-American texts aimed at teaching literary analysis as well as the main periods of Hispanic literary production. Its main focus, however, is to introduce students to the techniques of literary analysis. It guides students systematically through each work, first with pre-reading activities (Antes de leer) which pose issues related to the text but that also connect to the student's realm of experiences. In this way, the reader has a notion of the text's primary concerns. The next section—Codigos para la comprension—provides students with the specialized knowledge (historical, cultural, linguistic, and so forth) needed to understand the meaning of the text. The text itself is analyzed through a two-pronged process: first, by means of a series of Pasos para la compresion aimed at understanding the salient features of the text and later through Pasos para una lectura mas a fondo, which seek to decode the subtext and get beyond the literal meaning. Whenever possible, both sets of pasos focus on the literary text as a cultural construct so that the selection can be used as a vehicle for discussing and understanding aspects of Hispanic history, society, values, and culture. The two-tiered structure of the pasos provides flexibility. Instructors may wish to deal only with the first set of pasos, especially if their objective is reading comprehension. Or, the first tier may be assigned for preparation outside of class while the second, more sophisticated set of literary considerations, can be used for classroom discussion. It should be noted that the pasos are not merely a set of objective questions related to the plot and themes of the work. They often reveal information or make suggestions that provide students with clues for unraveling the hidden messages of the works. The pasos are not always solved with a clear-cut response; they are aimed at opening up the multiple possibilities of the text, so that no single interpretation is sought. Several features of the text support its emphasis on training students in literary analysis. First, a preliminary chapter (Bases teoricas) explains in simple language and with concrete examples the concepts of the modern literary theory that will be used throughout the book. And secondly, the Diccionario de terminos literarios, located in the appendix, serves as a useful reference tool. It not only defines terms, but frequently provides a concrete example from one of the texts in the anthology. The appendix also contains a section on Metrica espanola which explains in simple language the rules of Spanish prosody. Momentos cumbres, as the title suggests, is centered on moments of extraordinary or significant literary production. Consequently, the texts in each unit are selected to provide a broad range of artistic expression within each literary period or modality No attempt has been made to reveal the range of styles or expression of any single author. Lope deVega, for instance, appears as a Renaissance poet and not as a Golden Age dramatist. The accompanying web site (see below) leads students to additional works by authors. While most of the authors included in the anthology form part of the Hispanic literary canon, there has been an attempt to include previously silenced voices. This is the case with the medieval Jewish discourse of Sem Tob, and voice of the defeated Incans of Felipe Guaman Portia de Ayala, and the expression of feminine issues during the Spanish Golden Age with the work of Maria de Zayas. In a similar fashion, the term "Hispanic" has been interpreted in its broadest sense to include a great medieval Catalan poet (Ausias March), an example of gallego portugues poetry (the Cantigas of Alfonso X), and a poem in Galician by Rosalia de Castro—all of them with Castilian translations alongside the original text. Companion Website www.prenhall.com/momentos and CD A brief introduction precedes each chapter and author, but this brevity is augmented by the accompanying user-friendly Website designed specifically for Momentos cumbres with abundant relevant information on literary movements, historical background, life and works of authors, additional readings, and, where available, articles and other materials pertaining to the works in the anthology. The Website is an integral part of the Cumbres program. For instance, it contains an introductory essay, often by great essayists like Ortega y Gasset, to each chapter of the book. Equally significant are the links to essential reference tools, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and the like. Much care has gone into the Website so that only outstanding, trustworthy material is included, and each link is succinctly described. The Website will bring literature alive for students, and show them how the Internet can be a powerful tool for literary study, especially when library resources are unavailable. Audio CDs containing many of the poetic selections are also available with Momentos cumbres. Since poetry is a difficult genre for contemporary students, a professional reading of the poems, with their proper intonation, will help students understand their meaning and appreciate their audio and phonic qualities. Intended audience Momentos cumbres can be used in the third or fourth year of college-level Spanish study, in either an introductory literature course or a survey course of Spanish and/or Spanish-American literature. If the text is used to study only Spanish Literature or Spanish-American Literature, it has the advantage of letting students see what works were produced in the other part of the Spanish-speaking world within that same modality or time period, thus emphasizing the links that bond Spain to Spanish America. For instance, a student of Spanish literature studying the Baroque can see its ramifications in Mexico and Peru in the works of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz and Juan de Valle y Caviedes. On the other hand, a student studying Spanish-American literature and reading examples of Modernismo can see how the early Juan Ramon Jimenez in Spain was influenced by the movement. Because of this feature, Momentos cumbres is an ideal text for classes designed for native or heritage speakers of Spanish. In addition, Momentos cumbres includes the works on the AP Spanish Literature reading list and is organized in a chronological, period structure, as this material is generally presented in college. The AP list does not always provide a full range of examples for certain literary units. For instance, of the rich and varied production of documentary literature related to the encounter between Europeans and indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere, only Cabeza de Vaca is represented. In Momentos cumbres, AP students will be able to see other examples like Las Casas, Diaz del Castillo, and El Inca Garcilaso, thus realizing that Cabeza de Vaca is not a single voice but rather part of a much larger chorus of Spaniards expressing their experiences in the newly discovered territories. Theories underlying Momentos cumbres As with any book, I have a philosophy about teaching literature that has guided my work. First of all, I hesitate to use translations of words and phrases. If the nature of literary language is to exploit the power of words beyond their literal meaning—as I believe it is—then such translations are counterproductive to the literary experience. Therefore, I have annotated obscure or regional words and expressions in Spanish, making sure to indicate if its meaning is figurative or if it is used in only a particular region of the Spanish-speaking world. I also ask students throughout the book to look up certain words in a Spanish language dictionary, especially when these are polysemic words and its multiple meanings and connotations are appropriate for understanding the text. The Codigos para la comprension avoids the need of extensive footnoting, since they explain beforehand the specialized codes necessary for understanding the work. Secondly I want to train students to handle contemporary modes of critical analysis, particularly the concept of signs and codes (semiotics) and how they are structured in a text (structuralism). I also want them to learn critical theory. Although I do not subscribe to any particular method or school, I have suggested a number of different approaches, especially in the Pasos para una lectura mas a fondo, so that a student can see what Marxist or Feminist critics do, what deconstruction is, how Reader Response or Reception Theory operate, and so forth. Lastly I have tried to avoid "fragments" of works, preferring to read complete, albeit short, works that represent an organic whole. However sometimes, fragments are unavoidable. A great writer like Benito Perez Galdos, for instance, did not write short stories, so I was forced to include a chapter of Fortunata y Jacinta that holds together organically. On the whole, selections are purposely short so reading assignments are manageable and students have more time to read in greater depth. Similarly, introductory material to periods and authors is very concise and free of lists of titles and dates. The emphasis is on a close reading of the text.

FROM THE PUBLISHER