Carmen (Patty) Tovar

  • Senior Lecturer

Areas of Study

Education

  • BA, California State University, Northridge; 2000
  • MA, University of California, Irvine; 2003
  • PhD, University of California, Irvine; 2008

Biography

Tovar received her Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Irvine. Her area of specialization is Latin American narrative in the 20th century with an emphasis on contemporary Mexican literature. Her scholarly interests center on the portrayal of metropolitan spaces and their symbolism in contemporary Mexican urban novels, as well as women writers. She co-edited a critical volume of essays on new perspectives on María Luisa Puga and has published articles on Mexican writers Carlos Fuentes, Juan Villoro, Gonzalo Celorio, Ana Clavel, and Guadalupe Nettel.

Spring 2026

Intermediate Spanish I — HISP 202

Inverted Utopias: Latin American Avant Garde Literature — HISP 318

Ghosts, Spirits and Specters in Hispanic Narratives — HISP 462

Fall 2026

Intermediate Spanish II — HISP 203

Caos y Destrucción: Literatura Transatlántica de Ciencia Ficción — HISP 325

Constructs of Machismo and Marianismo in the Mexican Literary Canon — HISP 416