SPAN 747
SPAN 747
The theory and practice of the novel since the 1960s. Topics include the Spanish American “Boom” of the 60s and 70s, major international trends and writers, gender, cultural studies.
The Contemporary Spanish American Novel
Tuesdays 3:30-6:00pm
Prof. Oswaldo Estrada (oestrada@email.unc.edu)
This seminar, focused on gendered identities, begins with the study of the Latin American Boom and post-Boom and ends with the analysis of recent Latin American novels that question gender roles, masculinity, femininity, maternity, and alternative sexualities. We will read works by Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel García Márquez, Elena Poniatowska, and Mario Vargas Llosa, as well as novels by Pilar Quintana, Guadalupe Nettel, Pedro Lemebel, Mario Bellatin, Mayra Santos-Febres, and Rita Indiana.
Required texts: (1) Printed: Cortázar, Rayuela/Hopscotch (a precursor to hypertexts); García Márquez, Del amor y otros demonios/Of Love and Other Demons (novella); Allende, La casa de los espíritus/The House of the Spirits; Puig, El beso de la mujer araña/The Kiss of the Spider Woman; Fuguet, Las películas de mi vida/The Movies of My Life; Fuentes, Los años con Laura Díaz/The Years with Laura Díaz; Rushdie, Midnight’s Children; Lispector, A Hora da estrela/The Hour of the Star (novella). (2) Selected, free, digital novel(la) online (TBA). Readings may vary due to availability.
Work for the course: (1) active participation; (2) a presentation in English–unless everyone understands Spanish well–containing research on a theoretical/critical or literary text on the syllabus, chosen by the student and presented similarly to a conference paper (= 40% of the grade); (3) a research paper (= 60%). The latter may be written in Spanish or English; it must combine theory with textual analysis and criticism and will either be a rewrite of the presentation or may be on a new topic, per the student’s choice but subject to the instructor’s approval.