The Vanguards

Prof. A. Rivero (arivero@unc.edu)

DESCRIPTION: We’ll use “vanguard” to refer not only historically to literary movements in the first decades of the 20th century, but also (and especially) to the concept of experimentation in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Parallel developments in other literatures and non-literary art, as well as relevant theory will also be explored. We’ll apply these notions to seminal poems, novellas, short stories, and theoretical essays from Spanish America (our primary focus), as well as from France, Spain and elsewhere that illuminate the concepts we’ll probe. Discussion topics include, but are not limited to: the break with literary tradition; surrealism; modernity and postmodernity; changing roles of authors and readers; metawriting; gender; genre; race, transculturation and hybridity; historiography; postcolonialism, and cultural studies.

TEXTS (may vary depending on availability): The course will be taught in English and translations will be available as coursepacks, but you should read in the language(s) in which you specialize. Required books or bilingual selections in a coursepack: Darío, Selected Poems; Mallarmé, “Un Coup de dés”/”A Throw of the Dice”; Huidobro, Altazor; Breton, Poems (selection), “From Manifesto of Surrealism,” “From Second Manifesto of Surrealism”; Vallejo, Trilce (selections); Bombal, Última Niebla/New Islands and Other Stories (selections); Lorca, Gypsy Ballads and Poet in New York (selections); Guillén, Man-Making Words (2003 ed., selections);Valenzuela, Cambio de armas/Other Weapons (selections); Cortázar,Todos los fuegos el fuego/All Fires the Fire (selections); a digital text (online, TBA). Many of the texts are on the MA reading list.

WORK FOR THE COURSE: (1) a 15-20″ talk on a required reading (with a choice), including critical and theoretical sources (40% of the grade); (2) a 15-25 pp. research paper which will combine criticism, theory, and textual analysis (60%)—it may either expand the presentation or examine a different topic related to the course—it’s your option. Active class participation expected.

Crosslisted as CMPL 745[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]