ISBN 0-927534-92-4
280 pp. | paper only | $18.00 

scholarship by D.J. O'Connor

Representations examines sixteen plays—eleven of which were lost until the author uncovered them in her research—from the period just before and during the Spanish-American war. O'Connor sheds light into how the Spanish stage served as a potent propaganda vehicle. This readable history addresses conflicts between civic duty and family responsibility, racial prejudice, the roles of women, and nationalism. Includes illustrations, maps, a bibliography, and an index. An appendix presents one of the plays in its entirety.

D.J. O'Connor is a professor of Spanish literature and culture in the Department of Foreign Languages at the University of New Orleans, and she has also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She grew up during the McCarthy era and lived in Spain for two years during Franco's dictatorship. These experiences led to an interest in how the press and popular fiction function in periods of national crisis and repression.