SPANISH 411
20th C SPANISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE:
Fiction and reality
FALL 2009
Prof: Josefa Lago Graña (Pepa) Office: Wyatt Hall 235
Phone: 879-3300 E-Mail:
Office Hours: MW 12:00, T 10:00 Web Page: http://moodle.ups.edu
(and by appointment)
Course Description
The course will explore the perception of Latin American reality as portrayed in major fiction writers of the 20th century, such as Jorge Luis Borges, Alejo Carpentier, Juan Rulfo, Gabriel García Márquez, and Mayra Montero. To better understand these particular expressions of life, we will study notions such as historicity, religious syncretism, oral traditions, the perception of the supernatural in History and everyday reality, foundational myths, and other representations of the mythical. We will also discuss the concept of “magical realism”, a term that has come to be inextricably related to contemporary Latin American literature, yet remains to be clearly defined and categorized. This course will be taught entirely in Spanish.
Reading List
Borges, Jorge Luis. “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius” and “El Sur” from Ficciones (1944)
Carpentier, Alejo. Los pasos perdidos (1953)
Rulfo, Juan. Pedro Páramo (1955)
Gabriel García Márquez, Cien años de soledad (1967)
**Additional readings will be posted on Moodle
Course Requirements and Expectations
1. If any written work is deemed of unacceptable quality (problems with Spanish grammar or vocabulary) or the oral skills of the student are not adequate for a 400 level Spanish class the student will be asked to drop or withdraw. If you are concerned about this please talk to the professor immediately.
2. Attend class regularly. If you become sick and must miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact the professor and make up any assignments in a timely manner.
3. Participate actively in class, both spontaneously and when asked to express your view.
4. All reading and writing assignments must be done before class.
5. Most written work will be turned in as an assignment in Moodle. Work deemed as unacceptable will receive a grade of 0%.
6. Topics for papers will be assigned by the professor, in consultation with the student. The due dates for the papers are listed on the syllabus and will be reminded throughout the semester. Late papers will not be accepted.
7. Academic Honesty is an important value to be respected. If you are unclear as to what academic honesty entails please refer to The Logger.
Nota Bene: The content of some of the readings for this course is of violent and/or sexual nature. Be advised of the presence of this element, integral to the content of the course and present in several of the readings. If you think you might feel hurt, offended or otherwise overwhelmed by this element, I invite you to consider other options and will be happy to assist you with your selection.
Course Grading and Assignments:
Short response papers 40 %
A short paper will be written about 3 of the novels and 1 of the short stories studied in class, for a total of 4 papers during the semester, focusing on a particular aspect to be decided by the professor. Each paper will be due a week after completion of reading and class discussion on that particular text.
Research paper 20 %
A research paper will be written by the end of the semester, which will explore more in detail one of the novels read in class. The aspect(s) covered in this paper will be decided by the student, after consultation with the professor. The professor will give direction on the research paper, but it should be a culmination of literary analytic skills and historical research. Each student will do an oral presentation in class to present the preliminary work done for their final research paper, with information on the novel selected, the specific topic chosen, the thesis posited, the theoretical approach taken, and the critical works to be included included. A handout containing that information must be turned in at the time of the presentation. The oral presentation will be no longer than five (5) minutes.
Oral presentations 10 %
Each student will summarize a scholarly article (to be assigned by the professor) to the rest of the class. The articles will be assigned throughout the semester and will be connected to the course readings. The oral summary will take no longer than ten (10) minutes. A handout with the article information and the main points argued must be provided to the whole class at the time of the presentation.
Final exam 15 %
A final exam will test the students’ knowledge of the texts discussed in class, and the social and political reality they represent. I consider this exam as an opportunity to synthesize various issues that arise out of class discussions, readings, and/or my own presentations of material.
Participation 15 %
Attendance and participation is an essential part of this course. Each student will be expected to attend all classes and actively participate in all discussions. In addition, students will be asked to write short in-class reactions to particular readings, discussions or presentations. There will also be in-class, peer review sessions in order to give constructive comment and feedback on each other’s work.
Calendario de clases
Lunes 31agosto Introducción de la clase y presentaciones. Revisión de conceptos y términos literarios fundamentales
Miér 2 septiembre Leer en H : “Aspectos estructurales de la novela”, “Contextos históricos y culturales en la literatura hispanoamericana”, «Latin America : Fiction and Reality » de Mario Vargas Llosa
Lunes 7 septiembre Día del trabajo. No se trabaja!
Miér 9 septiembre Leer introducción a la obra de Borges y su significancia H
Leer “El Sur” de Borges. H
Lunes 14 septiembre Leer «Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius» de Borges H
· Instrucciones para completar trabajo # 1
Miér 16 septiembre Leer «De lo real maravilloso americano» de Alejo Carpentier H. Leer fragmentos del prólogo de González Echevarría a Los pasos perdidos en la edición de Cátedra (40-53)
Lunes 21 septiembre Leer Capítulo primero de Los pasos perdidos
Entregar Trabajo # 1
Miér 23 septiembre Leer Capítulos segundo y tercero de Los pasos perdidos
Lunes 28 septiembre Leer Capítulos cuarto y quinto de Los pasos perdidos
Miér 30 septiembre Leer Capítulo sexto de Los pasos perdidos
· Instrucciones para completar Trabajo # 2
Lunes 5 octubre Leer “La Revolución Mexicana y la novela post-revolucionaria”H
Leer prólogo de González Boixo a Pedro Páramo en la edición de Cátedra (19-32) –y aconsejable 32-47
Miér 7 octubre Leer pp 63-107 Pedro Páramo
Entregar Trabajo # 2
Lunes 12 octubre Leer pp 107-151 Pedro Páramo.
Miér 14 octubre Continuar discusión
Lunes 19 octubre Descanso otoñal. No hay clase
Miércoles 21 octubre Leer 151-195 Pedro Páramo
· Instrucciones para completar Trabajo # 3 H
Lunes 26 octubre Leer “El fin de la modernidad: PP y la desintegración de la comunidad”.
Discutir conclusiones a la lectura de Pedro Páramo
Miér 28 octubre Leer «Polemic: With Borges in Macondo» de Roberto González Echevarría y “La soledad de América Latina » por G.G.M. H
Entregar Trabajo # 3
Lunes 2 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad secciones 1-2. Presentar “El castaño solitario y otras correlaciones increíbles” por Seymour Menton
Miér 4 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad sección 3. Presentar
Lunes 9 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad secciones 4-6. Presentar
Miér 11 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad sección 7-8. Presentar
Lunes 16 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad secciones 9-11.
Miér 18 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad secciones 11-13
Lunes 23 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad 14-16
· Instrucciones para completar trabajo final H
Miér 25 noviembre Día de Acción de Gracias. No hay clase
Lunes 30 noviembre Leer Cien años de soledad 17-19
Miér 2 diciembre Leer Cien años de soledad sección 20
Presentación oral sobre el tema del trabajo final.
Lunes 7 diciembre Conclusiones y repaso para el examen
Miér 9 diciembre Examen final
Viernes 18 diciembre Entrega de trabajo final (fecha límite)