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Resistance Literature in the 19th Century

The Latin American wars of Independence that occurred in the early nineteenth century in Latin America led to a literary movement termed Resistance Literature. Writers were turning towards ideas and themes such as revolution, nationalism, and independence, showing their resistance towards imperialistic nations such as the United States. Cultural independence was a feeling that spread across Latin America during this time, and many writers began to depict themes in their works like individualism and pride in Latin American culture. While Resistance Literature as a whole first emerged during seventeenth century in Latin America, it rose in popularity in the form of resistance against the United States and other imperialist nations in the nineteenth century. Resistance literature was used as an attempt for Latin American writers to describe the journey towards Latin American identity, and was closely tied with the Modernismo literary movement. Resistance literature warned against the economic power of imperialist nations.

Prominent writers of resistance literature included Jose Marti (1853-1895) and Ruben Dario (1867-1916). Marti was a Cuban poet and essay writer whose literary works often warned readers about the imperialistic tendencies of the United States, and how Latin America should avoid allowing the United States to intervene in their affairs. One example of this sort of message can be seen in Marti's Our America, published in 1892. Dario was another poet during the nineteenth century who worked to highlight the threat of American Imperialism, which can be seen in his poem Roosevelt, as well as his other works Cake-Walk: El Baile de Moda. Many of his works were published in La Revista Moderna de Mexico, a modernist magazine that existed during the time period.

Male authors mainly dominated colonial literature, but resistance literature began a shift that allowed for more women authors to emerge. While male authors showed resistance through their critique of imperialistic powers, women writers of the nineteenth century wrote about the need to resist the forces within Latin America. Women writers of the resistance literature movement wrote about topics such as the marginalization and oppression of Indians, slaves, and women. Many works in resistance literature written by women challenged the Latin American patriarchal societies, seen in the works of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda (1814-1873), Juana Manuel Gorriti (1818-1892), and Clorinda Matto de Turner (1852-1909). These prominent women writers discussed the hypocrisy of the dominant class and institutions that existed in their societies and criticized the corruption of the government. Some examples of these types of works are Aves Sin Nido, Indole and Herencia, and El Conspirador: autobiografia de un hombre publico.