Program
Spanish and Portuguese, Hispanic Southwest Studies
College
Arts and Sciences
Student Level
Master's
Start Date
7-11-2019 2:00 PM
End Date
7-11-2019 3:45 PM
Abstract
The folklore narrative of La Llorona is one that has been an essential story in oral traditions of hispanohablante communities for centuries. Each narrative holds immense value in understanding social, racial, economic and political contexts within each region. This investigation is comprised of three components which include: a critical framing of La Llorona narratives in the context of New Mexican poetry, a self-produced creative production, and a pedagogical application within a Spanish as a Heritage Language classroom. The first component is an overview of a critical analysis of poems by women authors in New Mexico to explore regionally-specific poetic narratives and to consider how her story is being retold through creative fiction. This component considers a selection of poems which include: "La Llorona Speaks," by Mercedez Holtry, "Una Carta de Amor de La Llorona" by Jessica Helen Lopez, and "La Llorona" by Joanna Vidaurre-Trujillo. The second component, a self-produced creative production, reflects on the figure of La Llorona through my own collection of poems. The purpose of this creative production is to reflect on the significance of her figure as a way to understand the potency of her narrative as one that women find themselves in, exploring themes of resiliency, agency, and community. The third component of this project is a pedagogical application, wherein I have developed and implemented a series of activities related to creative productions about La Llorona in a Spanish as a Heritage Language classroom. The students are expected to read and analyze La Llorona narratives in both Spanish and English, identify themes, reconcile community narratives with written texts, and connect a variety of creative productions that include literature, art, and film, with cultural studies conversations surrounding political, social, racial, and economic themes. The goal of this project and poster presentation is to explore and critically consider the manifestations of La Llorona narratives as spaces that negotiate the complexities of La Llorona as a symbol of resilience and identity.
The Many Faces of La Llorona: Reflections on La Llorona Through Creative Writing
The folklore narrative of La Llorona is one that has been an essential story in oral traditions of hispanohablante communities for centuries. Each narrative holds immense value in understanding social, racial, economic and political contexts within each region. This investigation is comprised of three components which include: a critical framing of La Llorona narratives in the context of New Mexican poetry, a self-produced creative production, and a pedagogical application within a Spanish as a Heritage Language classroom. The first component is an overview of a critical analysis of poems by women authors in New Mexico to explore regionally-specific poetic narratives and to consider how her story is being retold through creative fiction. This component considers a selection of poems which include: "La Llorona Speaks," by Mercedez Holtry, "Una Carta de Amor de La Llorona" by Jessica Helen Lopez, and "La Llorona" by Joanna Vidaurre-Trujillo. The second component, a self-produced creative production, reflects on the figure of La Llorona through my own collection of poems. The purpose of this creative production is to reflect on the significance of her figure as a way to understand the potency of her narrative as one that women find themselves in, exploring themes of resiliency, agency, and community. The third component of this project is a pedagogical application, wherein I have developed and implemented a series of activities related to creative productions about La Llorona in a Spanish as a Heritage Language classroom. The students are expected to read and analyze La Llorona narratives in both Spanish and English, identify themes, reconcile community narratives with written texts, and connect a variety of creative productions that include literature, art, and film, with cultural studies conversations surrounding political, social, racial, and economic themes. The goal of this project and poster presentation is to explore and critically consider the manifestations of La Llorona narratives as spaces that negotiate the complexities of La Llorona as a symbol of resilience and identity.
