OVERVIEW

The course is offered in the second semester and provides an overview of the literary, cultural, social, and historical development of Spain from the Middle Ages to the seventeenth century. Its aim is to equip students with the tools necessary to understand and appreciate the major authors and works of the period, with particular emphasis on the Siglo de Oro (Spanish Golden Age).

AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Through class attendance and independent study, students will acquire knowledge of the development of Spanish literary history from its origins to the seventeenth century, as well as of the literary periods and the historical, political, and cultural contexts in which they emerged. They will be able to relate the major European cultural movements to the authors and works studied and to establish connections among them.

Students will be able to read, paraphrase, and translate the literary texts studied in Spanish and to contextualize a literary work within its historical and cultural framework. They will also be able to comment on and analyze literary texts from the period under study, identifying literary conventions, topoi, and rhetorical devices.

PREREQUISITES

There are no specific prerequisites for this course. Literary texts are studied in Spanish, occasionally with the support of an Italian translation.

TEACHING METHODS

The course consists of 36 hours of lectures in spanish, supported by multimedia materials.

Before each class, the literary texts to be discussed and analyzed will be made available on AulaWeb, so that students can have them with them during the lesson. AulaWeb will also serve as the repository for supplementary materials, further readings, and additional resources related to each topic covered, as well as suggestions for students wishing to pursue independent study of specific subjects in greater depth.

The teacher will also use AulaWeb to communicate with students; students are therefore encouraged to enroll in the course page on this platform.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

First Part: The Middle Ages

The concept of the Middle Ages; the centers of culture in medieval Spain; Arab, Jewish and Christian Spain;

The first literary manifestation in a Romance language: the Jarchas

The Spanish epic and the Poema de Mio Cid

Mester de juglaría and mester de clerecía

The Romancero and the Cancionero

Medieval prose and don Juan Manuel

Medieval poetry: Gonzalo de Berceo, El Arcipreste de Hita, Jorge Manrique

La Celestina and the dawn of the Renaissance.

Second part: "Siglo de Oro" (Renaissance and Baroque):

Poetry (Garcilaso de la Vega, san Juan de la Cruz, fray Luis de León, santa Teresa de Jesús, Luis de Góngora, Francisco de Quevedo, Lope de Vega);

Prose (Picaresca, Miguel de Cervantes, María de Zayas);

Theater (Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderón de la Barca).

During the lectures, particular attention will be devoted to the origins and development of the various literary movements, situating them within the broader historical, political, economic, and artistic context of Western culture in which they emerged. Special emphasis will nevertheless be placed on the literary text itself. A selection of texts, made available through AulaWeb, will be read, discussed, and analyzed.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For attending students:

1. Notes of the lessons
2. Literary texts in Aulaweb
3. Diccionario de tópicos literarios (available in Aulaweb).
4. Cesare Segre, “Costruzioni rettilinee e costruzioni a spirale nel Don Chisciotte”, in Le strutture e il tempo, Torino, Einaudi, 1974, pp. 183-219. (available Aulaweb)
5. Felipe B. Pedraza – Milagros Rodríguez, “La ‘comedia’: caracteres, evolución, entorno”, in Manual de literatura española IV. Barroco: teatro (available Aulaweb).

Students who are NOT attending the course of Modern Languages and Cultures can request an alternative text, in Italian, to replace the text in point 5.

For non attending students:

1. Carlos Alvar, José Carlos Mainer, Rosa Navarro, Storia della letteratura spagnola. Vol. 1. Il Medioevo e l’età d’oro, Torino, Einaudi, 2000.
2. Cesare Segre, “Costruzioni rettilinee e costruzioni a spirale nel Don Chisciotte”, in Le strutture e il tempo, Torino, Einaudi, 1974, pp. 183-219. (available in aulaweb).
3. Felipe B. Pedraza – Milagros Rodríguez, “La ‘comedia’: caracteres, evolución, entorno”, in Manual de literatura española IV. Barroco: teatro (available in aulaweb).
4. Two books (in critical edition with notes and introduction) to choose from:

- F. de Rojas, La Celestina.

- Anonimo, Lazarillo de Tormes.

- Miguel de Cervantes, don Quijote de la Mancha.

- Miguel de Cervantes, Novelas ejemplares.

- Lope de Vega, Fuenteovejuna.

- Lope de Vega, Peribáñez y el comendador de Ocaña.

- Pedro Calderón de la Barca, La vida es sueño.

Students who are NOT attending the course of Modern Languages and Cultures can request an alternative text, in Italian, to replace the text in point 3.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Second Semester (February 2027)

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of an oral interview in Spanish on the topics covered during the course.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Students will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of the required bibliography and, for those attending classes, the course materials and lecture notes. They must also be able to read, translate, comment on, and contextualize a literary text selected from those studied during the course.

More specifically, students should be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the main themes and stylistic developments of Spanish literature from its origins to the seventeenth century;
• Contextualize, comment on, and analyze the literary texts studied during the course;
• Understand original texts as well as primary and secondary literature.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have officially submitted certification of a disability, specific learning disorders (SLD), or other special educational needs are advised to contact both the designated advisor, Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), and the teacher at the beginning of the course, in order to agree on teaching and examination methods that, while respecting the course objectives, take individual learning styles into account and provide appropriate compensatory tools.