The Era of Revolution severed political ties between Latin America and the Old World-but cultural independence was another matter. This program explains how the region's literature began to come into its own, relying on models and themes imported from Spain while establishing a dialogue with other literary traditions and aesthetic movements. Through the work of Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi, Esteban Echeverria, Bartolome Hidalgo, Mariano Melga, Jose Marti, Cirilo Villaverde, and other writers, viewers will become familiar with the "literature of independence" particular to Latin America-one that threads together the old and the new, the alien and the indigenous, to form its own unique creations.

Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on July 19, 2007. Learn360 is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

The Nature of Latin American Literature (1:32) -- Latin America's Literature of Independence (3:56) -- The First Latin American Novel (3:24) -- Mexican Activist, Priest, and Author: Servando Teresa de Mier (3:11) -- Romanticism, Poetry, and a Latin American Identity (2:31) -- Gaucho Poetry: Bartolom Hidalgo (3:14) -- Latin American Poetry: Mariano Melgar (1:31) -- Latin American National Anthems (0:54) -- Politics and Discourse in Latin American Literature: Simon Bolivar (2:53) -- Latin American Revolutionary Andres Bello (4:06) -- The Essay in Latin American Literature (2:07) -- Latin American Politics and Literature: Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (3:06) -- Latin American Politics and Literature: Jos Mart (3:54) -- Latin American Slavery and Abolitionist Literature (5:09) -- Latin American Slavery and Abolitionist Literature: Autobiography of a Slave (4:45) -- Latin American Literature, Independence, and Identity (1:42).