SPAN 321: Reflective Narrative
Since Spanish was the language under our study, we couldn’t forget to study the works of literature that belong to Spain. This course has the academic purpose of analyzing the masterpieces by Spanish authors and their influence and contributions to this language.
Once again this analysis was in chronological order. We analyzed first some works from the Middle Ages. We read El Romancero, El Poema del Mio Cid, and Cantigas de Santa Maria from Alfonso X, who was one of the kings that always promoted and supported literature. We also read El Conde Lucanor and some fragments of other literary pieces during that time. The main themes were love and heroism, and we were able to have an idea about the life style of the people during those times and how they faced the historical events that happened in their country, such as the Arabic invasions and the time of knights and swords.
Our second group of novels came from the Renaissance period. The authors during that time were more sophisticated and the main style of Spanish language novels was based on the French and English styles. We read La Celestina, The Poetry of Garcilaso de la Vega, Lazarillo de Tormes, and Poetry of San Juan de la Cruz. There is a very significant change in the use of language across these pieces, and most of the principles of the today’s narratives in Spanish had their origins on those pieces.
The next period that we studied was El Barroco twhich was a new writing tendency after the years of the Renaissance style. The pieces of literature that we read were the poetry of Francisco de Quevedo, El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, which is considered the most important piece in Spanish literature; El Burlador de Sevilla, which was the inspiration for the homologue Don Juan Tenorio; and the poetry of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, who is the only Mexican writer that appeared in this collection. Many of the novels and poetry during this period have survived over the years, and are considered pieces of study for any class of Spanish literature.
We made a brief study of the in the Siglo de las Luces (XVIII Century) and we read comedies from Leandro Fernandez de Moratin, and narratives of Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos.
In the 19th Century we have three different currents of Romanticism where we found pieces as Don Juan Tenorio and Poetry from Gustavo Adolfo Becquer; Realismo with the novels El Sombrero de Tres Picos and Misericordia, and finally Naturalismo with La Barraca.
We finished our analysis with the analysis of Piezas in the 20th Century. We explored the style of the writers in La Generacion del 98 and the works that were published during 20’s, 30’s and Franco’s times.
This class was a great journey through the works of many Spanish authors. I was particularly amazed with Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the way he writes his novel El Quijote. This is a great class to explore the main exponents in the Spanish literature of all times.
Once again this analysis was in chronological order. We analyzed first some works from the Middle Ages. We read El Romancero, El Poema del Mio Cid, and Cantigas de Santa Maria from Alfonso X, who was one of the kings that always promoted and supported literature. We also read El Conde Lucanor and some fragments of other literary pieces during that time. The main themes were love and heroism, and we were able to have an idea about the life style of the people during those times and how they faced the historical events that happened in their country, such as the Arabic invasions and the time of knights and swords.
Our second group of novels came from the Renaissance period. The authors during that time were more sophisticated and the main style of Spanish language novels was based on the French and English styles. We read La Celestina, The Poetry of Garcilaso de la Vega, Lazarillo de Tormes, and Poetry of San Juan de la Cruz. There is a very significant change in the use of language across these pieces, and most of the principles of the today’s narratives in Spanish had their origins on those pieces.
The next period that we studied was El Barroco twhich was a new writing tendency after the years of the Renaissance style. The pieces of literature that we read were the poetry of Francisco de Quevedo, El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, which is considered the most important piece in Spanish literature; El Burlador de Sevilla, which was the inspiration for the homologue Don Juan Tenorio; and the poetry of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, who is the only Mexican writer that appeared in this collection. Many of the novels and poetry during this period have survived over the years, and are considered pieces of study for any class of Spanish literature.
We made a brief study of the in the Siglo de las Luces (XVIII Century) and we read comedies from Leandro Fernandez de Moratin, and narratives of Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos.
In the 19th Century we have three different currents of Romanticism where we found pieces as Don Juan Tenorio and Poetry from Gustavo Adolfo Becquer; Realismo with the novels El Sombrero de Tres Picos and Misericordia, and finally Naturalismo with La Barraca.
We finished our analysis with the analysis of Piezas in the 20th Century. We explored the style of the writers in La Generacion del 98 and the works that were published during 20’s, 30’s and Franco’s times.
This class was a great journey through the works of many Spanish authors. I was particularly amazed with Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and the way he writes his novel El Quijote. This is a great class to explore the main exponents in the Spanish literature of all times.
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