SPANISH LITERATURE AND CULTURE
Oral.
The course aims to deepen the knowledge of Spanish culture and literature of the late nineteenth century, through the reading of what is considered the novel par excellence of Spanish Realism: La Regenta by Leopold Alas Clarín. In particular, the student will reflect on the presence of European literature and philosophy of the period and on the connections between La Regenta and the previous literature in the Spanish language, basically with the work of Cervantes, to arrive at the idea of Clarín as a precursor of writers such as García Lorca and Cela. The student should also be able to apply the main tools of literary text analysis and relate the work under study to its historical and literary context.
The course is divided into two parts: a) the presentation of the narrative of Leopold Alas and, above all, of his socio-cultural and political context, which is fundamental to the second part of the course; b) the reflection on the period of the Spanish Restoration, the attitudes and activities of the political and ecclesiastical ruling class, through the presentation of the city and the inhabitants of Vetusta. This moment of reflection will lead, in the end, to understand Vetusta as a reflection of the world and to the deepening of the fundamental role of Leopold Alas Clarín within European literature.
Alas Clarín, L., La Regenta, Juan Oleza (ed.), Madrid, Cátedra, 2018 [Only this edition]
Oleza, J., “Introducción”, in Alas Clarín, L., La Regenta, Madrid, Cátedra, 2018, pp. 11-135.
To these readings and to the material seen in the classroom, non-attending students must also prepare:
Boves Naves, Mª C., “El espacio literario en La Regenta”, Archivum. Revista de la Facultad de Filología, 1983, pp. 117-130. [Handouts]
Roberts, G., “Notas sobre el realismo psicológico de La Regenta”, Archivum. Revista de la Facultad de Filología, 1968, pp. 189-202. [Handouts]
Lectures.
Further information will be provided at the beginning and during the course. Further study material will be published on the moodle course page.