SPAN 31104 - Fate, Free Will, and Entrapment in Modern Spanish Narrative

Course Credit: 1
Maximum Credit: 0

This course examines the themes of fate, freewill and entrapment in a selection of short stories, novels, and films primarily from Spain. The course begins with an examination of one medieval fable, El brujo postergado (c. 1330) by Don Juan Manuel, and two early modern novellas, Lazarillo de Tormes (1554, author unknown) and El licenciado Vidriera (1613) by Miguel de Cervantes. These three literary texts will serve as a touchstone for subsequent examination of several films, short stories, and novels from the twentieth century that also deal directly with fate, freewill, and entrapment and more broadly with individuality, selfhood, delusion, hardship, freedom, patriarchy, authoritarianism, love, and modernity. The selection of novels includes Niebla (1914) by Miguel de Unamuno and Nada (1951) by Carmen Laforet. The selection of films includes Tiempos modernos (1936) by Charlie Chaplin, El verdugo (1963) by Luis García Berlanga, La cabina (1972) by Antonio Mercero, and Blancanieves (2012) by Pablo Berger. Scholarly articles will also be assigned on a selection of the readings, and these will facilitate more in-depth discussion of the texts and serve as models of academic writing on literature or film. This course may be used to satisfy the Junior IS requirement. Course taught in Spanish. Prerequisite(s): SPAN-22300 or SPAN-22400 [AH]