OVERVIEW

The course deals with the literature written by women in the spanish twentieth century, with particular reference to the authors silenced by Franco's military dictatorship and forgotten in the era of the Transition. The course aims to include them into the canon of contemporary Spanish literature from which they were excluded till now.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to consolidate students' critical skills and to provide them with in-depth knowledge in the field of Spanish literature, including works generally not included in the canon. Particular emphasis will be given to the acquisition of methodological tools applicable to literary research and to the analysis and commentary of texts, also in relation to the historical and cultural context.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Through attendance at the course and individual study, the students will learn about the ideological evolution of Spain from the second half of the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century, with particular reference to the first policies in favor of female emancipation and their historical and political context. The students will be able to relate the great European cultural currents with the works and authors studied, also establishing links between them.

The student will be able to read, contextualize and paraphrase the proposed literary texts in Spanish. He will also be able to comment and analyze a literary text of the period, identifying literary stylistic features and figures of speech.

PREREQUISITES

No prerequisites needed.

TEACHING METHODS

36 hours of lectures in spanish with the help of multimedia material.

Before each lesson, the teacher will upload on Aulaweb the literary texts that will be commented, so that students can have them with them in class. The teacher will also upload support material and suggestions for those wishing to autonomously expand the study of a specific theme.

The teacher will also use Aulaweb to communicate with students, who are therefore invited to sign-in on the course page on this platform.

Particular emphasis will be given to reading, commenting and analyzing a selection of proposed texts.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The beginnings of feminist movements in the 19th century.

Institutions and cultural centers that have promoted women's education and female empowerment in Spain.

Civil rights and the parliamentary battles to obtain them; the political debate on universal suffrage.

The forerunners: Concepción Arenal, Carmen de Burgos, María de Maeztu, Clara Campoamor, Victoria Kent, Pilar de Valderrama.

Las Sinsombrero and the Generación del 27: María Teresa León, Josefina de la Torre, Rosa Chacel, Ernestina de Champourcín, Concha Méndez, Luisa Carnés, Elisabeth Mulder, Carmen Conde.

Presence of female writers in the literary circles of the 1920s and 1930s.

Spanich civil war and exile.

The reconstruction of historical cultural memory.

The new trends of literary criticism and the proposal of a new canon of contemporary Spanish literature.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

For attending students:

1. Lecture notes

2. An anthology of texts available in Aulaweb

3. Alessia Cassani, María de Maeztu: los conflictos de la hora actual, in Carmen Gil Fombellida and Larraitz Ariznabarreta (coord..), Exilio y humanidades. Las rutas de la Cultura. Ochenta años después, San Sebastián, Hamaika Bide Elkartea, 2021, pp. 125-140 (Available on Aulaweb).

4. Castillo Martín, Marcia, Contracorriente: Memorias de escritoras de los años veinte, “Espéculo (Revista de estudios literarios)”, Madrid, 17, 2001 (online).

5. Nuñez Rey, Concepción, El ensayismo de Carmen de Burgos, Colombine, en defensa de la igualdad de la mujer, “Estudios Románicos”, Vol. 27, 2018, pp. 61-74 (available on Aulaweb)

6. A text chosen by one of the authors studied, to be agreed with the teacher

For non-attending students:

1. AA.VV., Peces en la tierra. Antología de mujeres poetas en torno a la Generación del 27, Edición de Pepa Merlo, Sevilla, Fundación José Manuel Lara, 2010.

2. AA.VV., Con voz propia. La mujer en la literatura española de los siglos XIX y XX, Valladolid, Instituto Castellano y Leonés de la Lengua / Junta de Castilla y León, 2006.

3. Castillo Martín, Marcia, Contracorriente: Memorias de escritoras de los años veinte, “Espéculo (Revista de estudios literarios)”, Madrid, 17, 2001 (online).

4. Nuñez Rey, Concepción, El ensayismo de Carmen de Burgos, Colombine, en defensa de la igualdad de la mujer, “Estudios Románicos”, Vol. 27, 2018, pp. 61-74 (available on Aulaweb).

5. Cassani, Alessia, María de Maeztu: los conflictos de la hora actual, in Carmen Gil Fombellida and Larraitz Ariznabarreta (coord..), Exilio y humanidades. Las rutas de la Cultura. Ochenta años después, San Sebastián, Hamaika Bide Elkartea, 2021, pp. 125-140 (Available on Aulaweb).

6. A text chosen by one of the authors studied, to be agreed with the teacher

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

The course is a year-long course. It will begin in mid-September 2026 and will continue throughout the second semester.

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 by the course. During the exam, students must demonstrate that they have acquired general theoretical knowledge and also that thay know how to comment the literary texts (previously analyzed in class). The ability to critically rework the contents and to establish connections and analogies between works, authors and literary currents will be positively evaluated. Attending students may be assessed through seminar activities and presentations.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The student must demonstrate knowledge of the bibliography and course notes (for attending students), and of being able to read, comment and contextualize a proposed literary text. Students will have to demonstrate that:

- They know the themes and stylistic evolution of the Spanish literature of the periods studied;

- They know how to comment and analyze the proposed literary texts and contextualize them;

- They understand the original texts, primary and secondary literature on the proposed themes.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students who have officially submitted documentation of a disability, specific learning disorders (SLD), or other special educational needs are encouraged to contact both the Department’s Disability and Inclusion Coordinator, Prof. Sara Dickinson (sara.dickinson@unige.it), and the course teacher at the beginning of the academic year. This will allow appropriate teaching and assessment arrangements to be agreed upon, in line with the learning objectives of the course and tailored to individual learning needs, including the provision of suitable accommodations and support measures.