Fictions and the Art of Storytelling: Entre Burlas y Veras
Gustave Doré, illustration for the frontispiece of Don Quixote, 1863, engraving by Héliodore Pisan, Paris: Hachette.
What makes great fiction? How do literary fictions, whether in film, drama, poetry or prose, engage with, reflect, and/or distort our view of the word? How do we tell apart fiction from reality? How can we distinguish between something that is “true” and something that is “real”?
This course offers an introduction to Medieval and Golden Age Spanish literature, through the close-reading of renowned masterpieces of storytelling that have shaped Spain, Latin America and cultures across the world. Texts could include remarkable Works, such as Rojas’ tragicomedy, La Celestina, Cervantes’ novel, Don Quijote de la Mancha (selection), Calderón’s drama, La vida es sueño, and Sor Juana’s comedy, Los empeños de una casa. We will also consider key conceptual and formal aspects of various genres (prose, poetry, drama), as well as explore crucial questions in relation to the themes of lies, truth(s) and their many overlaps, which shape our understanding of what is fiction and reality.
Language of instruction: Spanish
Recommended prerequisites: SPAN 221; and SPAN 301 or equivalent expertise in written and spoken Spanish
Assignment Percentage
Participation & Preparation 10%
Weekly Discussions 15%
Post-Class Activity 10%
Leading Discussion 10%
Response Papers (2) 30%
Final Essay 25%
Required readings:
Most required readings will be posted as PDFs on Canvas.
Recommended readings:
- Cervantes, Novelas ejemplares (vol. 2), Cátedra – 9788437602219
- Anónimo, El Abencerraje y la hermosa Jarifa, Cátedra – 9788437602387
- Fernando de Rojas, La Celestina – Juan de la Cuesta, 9781589770119 or Cátedra, 9788437607009
- Anónimo, Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades – Juan de la Cuesta, 9781589770027 or Lazarillo de Tormes, Cátedra, 9788437606606
- Pedro Calderón de la Barca, La vida es sueño. Ed. Ciriaco Morón. Madrid: Cátedra, 2006.
- Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Los empeños de una casa. Ed. Celsa Carmen García Valdés. Madrid: Cátedra, 2010.
- Alan Deyermond, et al. A Literary History of Spain I-III: The Middle Ages and the Golden Age (Barcelona: Ariel, 2008).
- John H. Elliott, Imperial Spain, 1469-1716, 2nd ed. (London: Penguin, 2002).