Chicana/o literature frequently depicts characters who exist in a vulnerable liminal space, living on the border between Mexican and American identities, and sometimes pushed to the edge by authorities who seek to restrict their freedom.  As this groundbreaking new study reveals, the books themselves have occupied similarly precarious positions, as Chicana/o literature has struggled for economic viability and visibility on the margins of the American publishing industry, while Chicana/o writers have grappled with editorial practices that compromise their creative autonomy. 

 

From the Edge reveals the tangled textual histories behind some of the most cherished works in the Chicana/o literary canon, tracing the negotiations between authors, editors, and publishers that determined how these books appeared in print. Allison Fagan demonstrates how the texts surrounding the authors’ words—from editorial prefaces to Spanish-language glossaries, from cover illustrations to reviewers’ blurbs—have crucially shaped the reception of Chicana/o literature. To gain an even richer perspective on the politics of print, she ultimately explores one more border space, studying the marks and remarks that readers have left in the margins of these books. 

 

From the Edge vividly demonstrates that to comprehend fully the roles that ethnicity, language, class, and gender play within Chicana/o literature, we must understand the material conditions that governed the production, publication, and reception of these works. By teaching us how to read the borders of the text, it demonstrates how we might perceive and preserve the faint traces of those on the margins. 

 

ALLISON E. FAGAN is an assistant professor of English at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. 

"Fagan’s powerful work demonstrates the diverse tactics that Chicanx authors utilize to communicate their themes to their readers."

"Allison E. Fagan takes a novel approach to Chicana/o literature by examining the significance of its material features, such as revisions, collaborations, glossaries, translations, typography, editorial paratexts, and marginalia, and by raising intriguing questions about the role of audiences and publishing industries."

"The contributions that From the Edge makes to Chicana/o literary studies are apparent and abundant. Fagan has successfully advanced a new and important paradigm of reading Chicana/o textual materiality, and I look forward to seeing how scholars engage that paradigm, as well as her analyses of specific texts. It should influence how we regard the social lives of Chicana/o texts, not least by asking us to pay more attention to our own political, professional, and personal investments in literary interpretation and reinterpretation."

"An excellent  contribution to textual and reading scholarship in the field of Chicana/o literature. Allison E. Fagan’s analysis of the materiality of Chicana/ border literature is a fascinating read."