1885 fiction written in English by Mexican woman

The Squatter and the Don

Maria Amparo Ruiz De Burton

Arte Publico Pr

Who Would Have Thought It? is a historical romance which engages the dominant myths about nationality, race and gender prevalent in society in the U.S. prior to and during the Civil War. The narrative follows a young Mexican girl as she is delivered from Indian captivity in the Southwest and comes to live in the household of a New England family. Culture and perspectives on national history and identity clash in the face of the dominant society's opportunism and hypocrisy. This early Hispanic historical romance, originally published in 1872, indicts the racism that was so prevalent in the 19th century. As in her first novel, The Squatter and the Don, Ruiz de Burton reserves critical barbs for corruption in government and United States expansionism under the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. However, it is the recasting of the conventional novel of domesticity that Who Would Have Thought It? also addresses the disenfranchisement of women. Ruiz de Burton's deft character portrayals and satirical style make for a highly readable and enjoyable novel.

Who Would Have Thought It? (Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage)

Literature & Fiction

Rosaura Sánchez

Beatrice Pita

United States

Arte Publico Press

The Squatter and the Don, originally published in San Francisco in 1885, is the first fictional narrative written and published in English from the perspective of the conquered Mexican population that, despite being granted the full rights of citizenship under the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, was, by 1860, a subordinated and marginalized national minority.

The Squatter and the Don (Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage)

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Books by Maria Amparo Ruiz De Burton