How was Federico Gamboa's Santa read? Some notes on its reception

Abstract

Though Santa, by Federico Gamboa, is one of the most analyzed novels in Mexico, in the period that goes from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth, one has to admit that an approach to his contemporary readers is still necessary. In this article, I propose some ideas with regards to the reception of the novel during the Porfiriato, as well as to the modernity of Santa and the divorce established between the critique and the literature in the period.