HISP 226 - Medieval and Early Modern Spain

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

Topic for 2024/25a: Framing Poverty and Social Mobility: the Picaresque Novel in Spain and Latin America.The emergence of the picaresque novel in Spain and its migration to the “New World” forms one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of the novel. The protagonist of these texts is a social underdog (Spanish pícaro) who experiences different adventures as he drifts from place to place and from one social milieu to another in his struggle to survive. His efforts to medrar or improve his social standing are presented against a social background that proves itself to be deceiving and highly volatile. The course examines a broad selection of texts -literary and filmic-, ranging from the picaresque genre’s foundational Spanish texts (Lazarillo de Tormes, Guzmán de Alfarache) to later Latin American works (El Periquillo Sarniento, Los olvidados) that recreate this tradition in the specific historical and cultural conditions of the Americas. Nicolas Vivalda.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS