Subversive silences : nonverbal expression and implicit narrative strategies in the works of Latin American women writers /

In this interesting exploration of the "idea of silence with combative overtones" in the works of Latin American women writers, Weldt-Basson (Wayne State Univ.) proposes six categories of "subversive silence": "paradoxical, encoded, hyperbolic, symbolic, parodic, and cultural." The author analyzes writings that represent well the notion of silence, and she includes suggestions regarding other writers. The writers chosen for close study are Marta Brunet, Maria Luisa Bombal, Rosario Castellanos, Isabel Allende, Laura Esquivel, and Sandra Cisneros. Weldt-Basson argues that these particular writers prefer to employ a resisting silence because they were feminists, although of varying sorts. The strong theoretical basis for the analysis is a strength, and the clear exposition of often-murky theory is clearly a plus. The introduction and conclusions provide novel questions and answers, since the application of the categories may appear predictable in some cases, e.g., Isabel Allende using hyperbolic silence. The chapter analyses constitute worthy introductions to the authors studied, but even experts will learn something from the individual studies. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. D. E. Marting University of Mississippi