Nina Gerassi-Navarro Knihy

The examination of pirate novels uncovers how this genre intertwines history and fiction to explore nation-building in nineteenth-century Spanish America. The portrayal of pirates as both heroic and villainous highlights their dual role in embodying the spirit of emerging nations, while also reflecting the violence inherent in the struggle for independence. Through this lens, the book reveals the complexities of identity and nationalism during a transformative period in history.

This book offers a new and insightful look at the interconnections between the United States, Brazil and Mexico during the nineteenth century. Gerassi-Navarro brings together U.S. and Latin American Studies with her analysis of the travel narratives of Frances Calderón de la Barca and Elizabeth Cary Agassiz. Inspired by the writings of Alexander von Humboldt these women, in their travels, expand his views on the tropics to include a social dimension to their observations on nature, culture, race, and progress in Brazil and Mexico. Highlighting the role of women as a new kind of observer as well as the complexity of connections between the United States and Latin America, Gerassi-Navarro interweaves science, politics, and aesthetics in new transnational frameworks.