Checking date: 05/09/2021


Course: 2021/2022

Great Latin American Writers of the 20th Century
(722)
Hispanic Studies (Plan: 285 - Estudio: 84)


Coordinating teacher: DEYMONNAZ GIMENEZ, SANTIAGO

Department assigned to the subject:

Type: Compulsory
ECTS Credits: 6.0 ECTS

Course:
Semester:




Requirements (Subjects that are assumed to be known)
This course is intended for any student with previous knowledge of Spanish, with specific interest in reading and literature. No previous knowledge of Latin American literature required.
Objectives
Based on reading and analysis of selected texts, this course aims to give to the student an insight into the 20th century Latin American history, culture and reality through the study of its complex literature. It provides an opportunity to study the different literary trends, aesthetic conceptions and expressive techniques that make up this rich and varied literary panorama, both in narrative and poetic expression. Through reading and class discussion, students will reflect on the complexity of the literatures and cultures of Latin America, and gain an overview both of these expressions as the events that shaped the history and politics of the subcontinent. Students will be able to: 1. Identify and describe mayor literary tendencies and main cultural debates in 20th century Latin America. 2. Analyze and criticize literary texts. 3. Define and support a personal approach to literary and political events seen in class. 4. Discuss the link between literature and other domains of culture (e.g., politics, economy, debates on race and gender, etc.).
Description of contents: programme
The contents of the subject are organized according to a cross-cutting topic that will determine the approach to Latin American literature: e.g., the history of literary movements, the ideological construction of space, the relationship between literature and politics, the doppelgänger, the building of Latin American identity, gender issues, realism and the different approaches to reality, the relationship between Latin America and other regions of the world, the fantastic in Latin American literature, etc. Since the topic varies every semester, the final program will be published before the start of classes. You can contact by email to know the readings for the next semester. Here are some examples: Topic 1: "The hallucinated mirror of history" This topic will allow us to think about the different ways in which history enters literature: as an object of representation, as a background in the literary debates of the time, as an ideological position. We will study the different strategies used by writers to address those events and phenomena that marked the politics of the continent throughout the 20th century. Units: - 1917: Mexican Revolution. Texts by Juan Rulfo. - 1945: Peronism. Texts by Jorge Luis Borges and Julio Cortázar. - 1959: Cuban Revolution. Texts by Eduardo Heras León and Leonardo Padura. - 1968: The Tlatelolco Massacre. Texts by Elena Poniatowska and Roberto Bolaño. - 1973: The dictatorships of the Southern Cone. Texts by Roberto Bolaño and Néstor Perlongher. - 1989: Neoliberal democracies. Texts by Diamela Eltit. Topic 2: "Gender issues" This topic is thought of as a deliberate attempt to revise a traditionally masculine literary canon. We will focus on a group of female authors whose contribution has undoubtedly meant a turning point in the literary production of Latin America throughout the century, introducing questions that would usually end up being postponed or neutralized on their time, but that in the light of the present they acquire more and more relevance. Units: - The wild tongues. Texts by Juana de Ibarbourou. - The uncanny intimacy. Texts by Silvina Ocampo. - Gender and race. Texts by Rosario Castellanos. - The untamed voice. Texts by Elena Poniatowska. - The body in sight. Texts by Diamela Eltit. - Lost in translation. Texts by Sylvia Molloy. Topic 3: "Problems of literature" This topic is considered as a journey through some of the main theoretical questions of literary language and the way in which these are articulated in the literary production of Latin America: the literature as device, the reflection on realism, the figure of the author, the role of reading, the question of genre, and the always tense relationship between literature and politics. Units: - Literature as device. Texts by Horacio Quiroga. - Realism. Texts of Rómulo Gallegos. - The author. Texts by Pablo Neruda. - The reading. Texts by Jorge Luis Borges. - Genre and gender. Texts by Gloria Anzaldúa. - Politics. Texts by Mariana Eva Pérez. The texts of each unit will be complemented by secondary readings proposed by the professor. * Contents, authors and the selection of texts can be modified. All mandatory readings will be included in a dossier published by the professor and available in the university copy center.
Learning activities and methodology
The course will be focus on textual analysis and discussion of selected literary works. Students must read the texts for each session in advance in order to participate actively in class. Class attendance is mandatory. Cursos de Estudios Hispánicos penalty for unexcused absences: 1st unexcused absence: 3% of the final grade will be deducted 2nd unexcused absence: 5% of the final grade will be deducted 3rd unexcused absence: Suspense of the subject In addition to classroom participation, students must submit a response paper for each unit. These tasks should have an approximate extension of one or two pages each (3,000-3,500 characters). Also, towards the end of the semester, students must explain in front of the class the subject of their final essay. There will be office hours intended to address specific questions about the content or activities of the subject. Students who were unable to attend at scheduled time, can make an appointment with the professor. Tutorials are optional.
Assessment System
Basic Bibliography
  • Anzaldúa, Gloria. Borderlands: La frontera. Aunt Lute Books. 1999
  • Bolaño, Roberto. La literatura nazi en América. Seix Barral. 1996
  • Borges, Jorge Luis. El hacedor. Debolsillo. 2012
  • Cortázar, Julio. Cuentos completos (Vol.I). Alfaguara. 2010
  • Eltit, Diamela. Mano de obra. Seix Barral. 2002
  • Guillén, Nicolás. Summa poética. Cátedra. 2005
  • Meade, Teresa A.. History of Modern Latin America: 1800 to the Present. Wiley-Blackwell. 2015
  • Onetti, Juan Carlos. Cuentos, artículos y miscelánea: Obras completas (Vol.III). Galaxia Gutenberg. 2009
  • Perlongher, Néstor. Poemas completos (1980-1992). Six Barral. 2003
  • Quiroga, Horacio. Cuentos (Vol.I). Losada. 2002
  • Rulfo, Juan. El Llano en llamas. Cátedra. 2004
Additional Bibliography
  • Alvar, Manuel et al.. Historia de la literatura hispanoamericana. Cátedra. 2008
  • Anderson Imbert, Enrique. Historia de la literatura hispanoamericana. Fondo de Cultura Económica. 1985
  • Bellini, Giuseppe. Nueva historia de la literatura hispanoamericana. Castalia. 1997
  • Burgos, Fernando. El cuento hispanoamericano en el siglo XX. Castalia. 1997
  • Echevarria, Roberto Gonzalez. Modern Latin American Literature: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. 2012
  • Gálvez Acero, Marina. La novela hispanoamericana del siglo XX. Cinel. 1986
  • Jara, René. Los pliegues del silencio: narrativa latinoamericana en el fin del milenio. Episteme. 1996
  • Olivio Jimenéz, José. Antología de la poesía hispanoamericana contemporánea: 1914-1987. Alianza. 1992
  • Oviedo, José Miguel. Antología crítica del cuento hispanoamericano: Del romanticismo al criollismo (1830-1920). Alianza. 1989
  • Rama, Ángel. Transculturación narrativa en América Latina. Siglo XXI. 1982
  • Schwarts, Jorge. Las vanguardias latinoamericanas. Textos programáticos y críticos. Cátedra. 1991
  • Shaw, Donald Leslie. Nueva narrativa hispanoamericana. Cátedra. 1992
  • Villanueva, Darío / Viña Liste, José María. Trayectoria de la novela hispanoamericana actual: del "realismo mágico" a los años ochenta. Espasa-Calpe. 1991
  • Yurkievich, Saúl. Fundadores de la nueva poesía hispanoamericana. Seix Barral. 1979
Detailed subject contents or complementary information about assessment system of B.T.

The course syllabus may change due academic events or other reasons.