SOURCE: "Minority Interaction in John Rollin Ridge's The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta," in MELUS, University of Massachusetts, Summer, 1991-1992, pp. 61-72.

In the following essay, Christensen analyzes Ridge's portrayal of different ethnic groups, including Mexicans, Chinese, and Native Americans, in Joaquín Murieta.

The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit (1854) by John Rollin Ridge (1827-1867) begins two traditions in American literature. Not only is it the first novel written in English by a person of Native American ancestry, it is also the first novel by an American in English treating the Mexican community of post-Mexican War California.¹ Surprisingly, critics of the novel have as yet failed to look closely at this cultural intersection and analyze Ridge's depiction of different ethnic groups in the novel.

Increased attention is bound to come Ridge's way soon. The new Heath Antholology of American Literature edited by...