The great novel of Las Americas
Emilio Calderón
The meme addresses the discussion we had in class about the literary value, cultural representations, and reception of “American Dirt” by Jennanine Cummins (2020). More specifically, it refers to Sandra Cisneros’ initial endorsing of the novel as a masterpiece comparable to “Grapes of Wrath” and Gurba’s demolishing criticism of it. The meme references a phrase of both Cisneros and Gurba to synthesize their opposite views regarding the book’s literary value, depth, and relevance. The Batman and Robin panel used in the meme conveys the extent to which Gurba overpowers Cisneros in her response. While Cisneros is a writer with more established trajectory as a writer, Gurba came out of the discussion by giving a lesson on the dangers of cultural appropriation, messianism, and market and profit-driven literature.
