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Acknowledgments I have written journal articles about some of the authors that I discuss in this book, but my treatment of them here differs significantly from those earlier publications. Readers interested in the fantastic short story in Mexico can consult “The Fantastic as a Vehicle of Social Criticism in José Emilio Pacheco’s ‘La fiesta brava’” (Chasqui: Revista de Literatura Latinoamericana 14.2–3 [Feb.–May 1985]: 3–13); and “Carlos Fuentes’ ‘Chac Mool’ and Todorov’s Theory of the Fantastic: A Case for the Twentieth Century” (Hispanic Journal 8.1 [fall 1986]: 125–33). My interest in women writers of the fantastic has its roots in these articles: “’La culpa es de los tlaxcaltecas’: A Reevaluation of Mexico’s Past Through Myth” (Crítica Hispánica 7.2 [fall 1985]: 105–20); “Double or Nothing?: The Fantastic Element in Silvina Ocampo’s ‘La casa de azúcar’” (Chasqui 20.2 [Nov. 1991]: 64–72); “An Eye for an ‘I’: Women Writers and the Fantastic as a Challenge to Patriarchal Authority” (Inti: Revista de Literatura Hispánica 40–41 [fall 1994–spring 1995]: 233–46); and “Reading Power : Some Observations on the Construction of Meaning and Authority in María Luisa Bombal’s La última niebla” (Revista Hispánica Moderna 51 [1998]: 304–16). I have expanded on these articles and used a different analytical focus here. I am profoundly grateful to those people who have contributed to this book by giving me friendship, support, scholarly insights, and great advice throughout the years. Thomas C. Meehan is at the top of the list for passing on to me his love of the fantastic in Spanish America. He x / acknowledgments inspired me to become the scholar and teacher I am today. Maria Clark has been fundamental in keeping my love for the fanastic alive. Her enthusiasm for the genre as well as her brilliant analyses of it have illuminated my path. Denise DiPuccio has also been a source of inspiration and strength. She knew I would write this book long before I did, and she never stopped believing in me. Vicki Elkins, Steve Beaver, and Beth Secrist have always been willing to lend an ear and offer encouragement when I needed it. Thanks for always being there for me. I’m grateful to my parents for teaching me to love books, and to my brothers and their families, for sharing the love of books with me. The University of Tennessee provided me with a research leave, which gave me time to get started on the book. Thanks to colleagues there, especially Carl Cobb, Yulan Washburn, Bill Heflin, Michael Handelsman, and John Romeiser, who helped me find my way in life as a professor. I am grateful to Patricia Klingenberg, whose work on the fantastic has influenced me and who has generously shared her ideas with me at conferences and professional meetings. Beth Kalikoff graciously agreed to read an early version of the manuscript and provided encouraging feedback, as well as continuous moral support. Good friends in Mexico and Cuba have given me a place to work and write, and they have welcomed me into their homes and communities in a way that sustains me and keeps me firmly grounded in Latin America, no matter where I am. At Temple University Press, Emily Taber deserves my eternal thanks for overseeing the early stages of the book’s progress, as does Janet Francendese for her enthusiastic support and professional guidance. I also want to thank the estate of Remedios Varo for allowing me to use her beautiful artwork on the cover. Last, but not least, I want to thank my students for embracing my fascination with the fantastic, and for being open to its magic. ...

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