Who Would Have Thought It? - Classic Text | Alexandria
Who Would Have Thought It? (1872), a groundbreaking novel by María Amparo Ruiz de Burton (1832-1895), stands as the first English-language novel published by a Mexican American writer and one of the earliest critiques of post-Civil War American society from a Hispanic perspective. This remarkable work, published anonymously during a period of intense social and political transformation, masterfully interweaves romance, satire, and sharp social commentary while challenging prevalent nineteenth-century American assumptions about race, class, and gender.
The novel emerged from Ruiz de Burton's unique position as a privileged Mexican woman who became an American citizen following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). Born into a prominent family in Baja California, she married Union Army officer Henry S. Burton, experiencing firsthand the complexities of cultural assimilation and social mobility in nineteenth-century America. This personal background infuses the narrative with authentic insights into the period's cultural tensions and power dynamics.
The story follows Lola Medina, a wealthy Mexican teenager who arrives in New England with her guardian, bringing with her immense wealth and challenging local prejudices about race and culture. Through this narrative, Ruiz de Burton skillfully exposes the hypocrisy of New England society, particularly regarding its claims to moral superiority and racial enlightenment. The novel's innovative blend of romantic conventions with political satire creates a powerful critique of American expansionism, religious hypocrisy, and racial prejudice.
Rediscovered by scholars in the late twentieth century, Who Would Have Thought It? has gained recognition as a foundational text in Mexican American and recovered women's literature. Its sophisticated treatment of race, gender, and national identity continues to resonate with contemporary discussions about immigration, cultural assimilation, and American identity. Modern readers find particular relevance in its exploration of how wealth and appearance can affect social acceptance and its questioning of presumed cultural superiority. The novel's rediscovery has sparked renewed interest in nineteenth-century Hispanic American literature and its role in shaping American literary history, prompting scholars to reevaluate traditional canons and narratives of American literary development.