Rodriguez 1

Lena M. Rodriguez Colon

Professor Gayle Wald
English 6450
27 October 2014
Annotated Bibliography for Final Seminar Paper on The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears
A common theme among some of the texts weve been discussing is borders, both
physical and invisible borders that shape and define communities. The theme has been most
prevalent in The Faming of Bones, where the river acts as a border between two nations, two
peoples, two languages, life and death, and the past, present and future. This has led me to
consider how borders are presented and transgressed in The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears.
Ultimately, I will look through the manifestations of borders and communities within The
Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears and how they influence the reconstruction of both Sephas
identity as well as the communities he engages with. The questions I am currently considering
are: How do physical and invisible borders define and shape communities/nations/identities?,
How do borders transgress space?, and Has Sepha become part of an imagined community?

Annotated Bibliography
Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of
Nationalism. London: Verso, 1983. Print.
According to Anderson, a nations origins are a cultural construct. A nation itself is an
imagined political community that is both limited and sovereign. It is imagined because
members are united through shared values and common aims; they do not necessarily all
know each other but share common characteristics. It is limited because of its boundaries

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(geographic and linguistic). Last, it is sovereign because it does not rely on religious
hierarchies. This work is relevant to my research because I will use Andersons idea of
imagined communities to explore the communities within The Beautiful Things that
Heaven Bears and how they are constructed or reconstructed. I will also explore how the
borders in Sephas life influence his community/understanding of self. I will address any
problematic ideas with Andersons theory and how it is or isnt applicable to the
communities in the text.
Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. San Francisco: Spinsters/Aunt
Lute, 1987. Print.
In this semi-autobiographical text, Anzaldua discusses the complexity behind our
understood notions of borders and their influence on the construction of identity. Borders
are not simply physical, geographic limitations, but also psychic, social and cultural
boundaries. We all live in borders; we are caught between them, negotiating through
them. This text serves as a model for how to identify and understand borders and their
influence on individual and, in turn, communal identities. I will be using Anzalduas
interpretation/definition of borders in my examination of them in Mengetsus text.
Anzalduas text, also, leads me to other sources for research (books and scholarly
articles) that discuss the theme of borders and transgression in relation to the formation of
identities. This, and the other texts, will serve as a base to work off of in the discussion of
how borders in The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears define and shape communities,
Sephas community/identity in particular.
Best, April Dawn, "Geographical, Linguistic, Social, and Experiential Demarcation: The River in
Edwidge Danticats The Farming of Bones" (2013).Masters Theses. Paper 60.

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In her thesis, Best analyzes the symbolism of the Massacre River as a border in Danticats
The Farming of Bones. Noticing a lack of criticism on the river as both a physical and
metaphorical border, Best contextualizes the theoretical and literary function of the river.
The river helps reshape and reconstruct individuals identities. While the content of this
text serves as an exemplary illustration of the analysis I look to conduct, it also serves as
a model for a research method. Best engages with Gloria Anzalduas Borderlands to
discuss the rivers functionality, and then draws upon its influences to discuss its impact
in the formation of other identities and histories. This is what I am exploring with
Mengetsus text, with the exception that I will not only focus on one border.
Ink, Lynn Chun. "Remaking Identity, Unmaking Nation: Historical Recovery and the
Reconstruction of Community in In the Time of the Butterflies and The Farming of
Bones." Callaloo 27.3 (2004): 788-807. Print.
Ink discusses how Alvarez and Danticat reconstruct the identity of La Hispaniola by
historicizing female experiences and turning away from what have been common
patriarchal narratives. Furthermore, Ink argues that the authors formulate a reconstruction
of a communal identity that re-imagines geographic and psychical boundaries. This
work serves as a model of how to engage with Mengestus text to examine how blurring
and transgressive boundaries help reconstruct the communal identity in Logans Circle
and Sephas identity within the community. Like Ink does, I am looking at the
construction of identity through the borders/boundaries/lines that define both the
geographical spaces of the text as well as the characters mind and relationships.

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National Endowment for the Arts. "Art Works Podcast: Conversation with Dinaw Mengestu."
Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 29 May 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
This podcast consists of a conversation with Dinaw Mengestu about The Beautiful Things
that Heaven Bears. He discusses the constructions of the characters within the text and
their forged relationships. Dislocation and loss surround the characters lives, Sepha in
particular, who doesnt seem to have a grasp on his place. He is in it [the community]
but not of it, the interviewer states. Building upon, and against, this comment, I will
argue Sepha begins to create his own kind of community as he transgresses the borders of
Ethiopia, his uncles apartment building (Ethiopia in the US), Logan Circle and Judiths
home. He blurs the borders/boundaries through his relationships and displacement.
Reyes Cruz, Mariolga, Claudio Moreira, and Desiree Yomtoob. "Transgressive Borders: A
Performative Diaspora in Three Movements. Qualitative Inquiry15.5 (2009): 787-805.
Print.
This is an autoethnographic performance (intended to be performed to a live audience)
that tells the story of three diasporic subjects. They narrate their borders and boundaries,
both physical and invisible. They are caught between multiple worlds and make their way
across them, standing out from others within their communities. While it is not directly
related to the text I will discuss, it allows an insight into the multiple borders that subjects
encounter/walk through as they negotiate their place and identities. The subjects provide
first-hand details of how they moved through static and transgressive borders, including
their familys country of origin, the family itself, language, fences, doors and houses.
This serves as a starting point on how to approach borders and boundaries in The
Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears, on how to identify the multiple types of borders

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Sepha encounters/transgresses, and on how they have influenced the formation of his
identity.
While I have not encountered much criticism written on borders in The Beautiful Things
that Heaven Bears, secondary literature on other texts has been helpful for my research process.
However, I now face other challenges. Primarily, I need to focus my research questions. I might
be a bit ambitious with my paper since I want to discuss how the transgression of borders relates
to Sephas imagined communities. During the drafting process, I might find that the two are not
as interrelated as they first seemed, and I might choose to focus on one over the other. Also,
instead of looking at the multiple borders exemplified in the text, I might have to focus on one or
two that encompass the various types of borders. I must find a way to hone my argument, and
look for additional sources that are pertinent to and will solidify it.