This little volume dealing with the subject of Hispanic elements, influences, and themes in the literature of the United States, consists of eight chapters, six of which have appeared previously as separate articles in Hispania or The Americas. Because of the vastness of the subject, the author limits his study to the years between 1770 and 1830, and considers only the novel, drama, poetry, and travel literature. Early American literature in these genres is carefully examined by the author for any traces of Hispanic elements.
Stimulated by their feeling of nationalism, as well as by the spirit of romanticism which sought expression in the exotic, the early American authors turned to Spain and Spanish America for inspiration. The Hispanic themes which Dr. Stimson found to be the most popular were: Columbus and the conquistadores; the aborigines, especially the concept of the “noble savage”; the emancipation of the Spanish colonies; the history of Spain, particularly that dealing with the Moorish invasion; and the Spanish honor code.
Of the sources utilized by American authors, the most important were William Robertson’s A History of America (1777); the Spanish chronicles dealing with the New World discoveries; and travel books. The first of these was significant in shaping the thinking of many American authors with regard to the concepts of the “black legend” and the “noble savage.”
The first and perhaps the most popular of a long series of works containing Hispanic American themes was Timothy Flint’s Francis Berrian, or the Mexican Patriot (1826). This novel, with its Mexican setting, reveals the great importance of Hispanic sources in the development of American romanticism. In drama, one very popular play in its day was The Ladies of Castile (1790), by Mercy Otis Warren, in which Spain is depicted as the helpless victim of the despot Charles V. Another was William Dunlop’s Pizarro in Peru; or the Death of Rolla (1800). Here the dramatist condemns bitterly the role of this conquistador in the conquest of Peru, while at the same time converting the Indian into a romantic hero. Poets, too, turned to the Hispanic scene for inspiration, but the greater part of their verse has little aesthetic value. Two possible exceptions were the poets Freneau and Bryant.
Of timely interest is the chapter dealing with the influence exercised by Cuba and Cuban writers on Americans. Especially informative is the discussion of the Negro Cuban poet, Gabriel de la Concepción Valdés (Plácido), and the popularity he enjoyed in our country during the middle part of the last century. A critical bibliography completes the book.
Professor Stimson’s book is carefully written, well documented, and reveals a broad knowledge and understanding of the subject treated. It should prove of special interest not only to Hispanists, but also to students of thematic development in the early literature of the United States.
