HISTORY OF SPANISH CULTURE AND SOCIETY

The course is characterizing for students who chooses Spanish language and literature A or B during the studies on «Lingue, civiltà e scienze del linguaggio», for every three plans (Letterario-culturale, Linguistico-filologico-glottodidattico, Politico-internazionale). Could be also chosen in the studying plan as free-choice credits or as an integrative course.
The course aims to approach the student to Spanish modern culture (mainly Golden Age) through the comment and study of Cervantes and specially the Quixote. This and other plays will serve to see different artistic and cultural manifestations of its time (philosophy, literature, politics, society, history, etc.) with an approach that will be based on a selection of critical texts, graphical documents and audiovisual materials. Furthermore, the course will provide the utils to acquire the skills to read and understand a literary next in its context and in its following reception.

Knowledge and understanding
- The principal features of culture and literature of Spanish Golden Age, with special attention to Cervantes.
- The socio-cultural context (history, literary periods) of 16-117th Century Spain.
- The analysis tools and it specific terminology, among the critical tradition.
Ability to apply knowledge and skills:
- Frame the literary text in its socio-cultural context.
- Apply critically the tools of text analysis and discuss other critical opinions.
Judgement ability
- Self-evaluation of comprehension capacities of Spanish language
- Critical analysis of literary texts (structure, linguistical aspects, relations with culture, etc.), autonomous judgement in the interpretation and discussion of texts.
Communicative skills
- Speaking and writing (in Spanish) ability of communication (with specialists and non-specialists), in order to provide information, express ideas, put and resolve questions about Spanish culture and literature (specially about Cervantes) in a critical way, using the suitable bibliography and terminology.
Learning
- Plan the study of the provided material with autonomy, select the bibliographical and electronic sources to increase the knowledge of Cervantes' and Spanish literature.

Knowledge of the Spanish language to read critic and literary texts.

The course provides a profile of Spanish Literature of 16-17th Century by the example of Cervantes, with an introduction to the culture of his time and the critical discussion of Quixote and other texts.
1. Introduction: Cervantes and his time
2. Cervante's quill: ingenium, career and genres
3. Quixote's cultural universe
4. Cervantes' shadow: influence and reception (art, cinema, literature)

Testo obbligatorio: lettura
CERVANTES, Miguel de, Don Quijote de la Mancha, ed. F. Rico, Madrid, Alfaguara, 2005.
[— Don Quijote de la Mancha, ed. dir. F. Rico, Madrid, RAE, 2015, 2 vols.]
Altri testi: letture opzionali
CERVANTES, Miguel de, Comedias y tragedias, ed. coord. L. Gómez Canseco, Madrid, RAE, 2015, 2 vols.
— Entremeses, ed. A. J. Sáez, Madrid, Cátedra, 2020.
— La Galatea, ed. J. Montero, F. Gherardi y F. J. Escobar Borrego, Madrid, RAE, 2014.
— Información de Argel, ed. A. J. Sáez, Madrid, Cátedra, 2019.
— Novelas ejemplares, ed. J. García López, Madrid, RAE, 2013.
— Poesías, ed. A. J. Sáez, Madrid, Cátedra, 2016.
— Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda, ed. I. García Aguilar, L. Fernández y C. Romero Muñoz, estudio I. Lozano-Renieblas, Madrid, RAE, 2018.
Letture integrative
CANAVAGGIO, Jean, «Cervantes, Miguel de», en Gran Enciclopedia Cervantina, III, dir. C. Alvar, Madrid, Castalia, 2006, pp. 2231-2247.
MARTÍN MORÁN, José Manuel, «Las raíces italianas de Cide Hamete», eHumanista/Cervantes, 6, 2017, pp. 93-112.
RILEY, Edward C., «Teoría literaria», en Suma cervantina, ed. J. B. Avalle-Arce y E. C. Riley, London, Tamesis, 1973, pp. 293-322.
SÁEZ, Adrián J., «Vida del capitán Ruy Pérez de Viedma: la autobiografía soldadesca en Don Quijote (I, 39)», Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America, 36.1, 2016, pp. 85-104.
Letture consigliate
1. Biografie
CANAVAGGIO, Jean, Cervantes, trad. de M. Armiño, 5.ª ed., Madrid, Espasa Calpe, 2015 [1983].
GARCÍA LÓPEZ, Jorge, Cervantes: la figura en el tapiz, Barcelona, Pasado & Presente, 2015.
GRACIA, Jordi, Cervantes: la conquista de la ironía, Madrid, Taurus, 2016.
2. Guide di lettura
CLOSE, Anthony J., Guía esencial del «Quijote», trad. M.ª C. Valdés Rodríguez, Madrid, Visor Libros, 2019.
GÓMEZ CANSECO, Luis, El «Quijote», de Miguel de Cervantes, Madrid, Síntesis, 2005 [pp. 13-115].
RILEY, Edward C., Introducción al «Quijote», Barcelona, Crítica, 2000.
3. Studi varie
BERRUEZO-SÁNCHEZ, Diana, «Novela sin marco y marco con novelas: de las Novelas ejemplares a la primera parte del Quijote», eHumanista/Cervantes, 6, 2017, pp. 15-28.
CLOSE, Anthony J., La concepción romántica del «Quijote», trad. G. G. Djembé, Barcelona, Crítica, 2005.
— Cervantes y la mentalidad cómica de su tiempo, trad. L. Iglesias Pedronzo y C. Conde Solares, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 2007.
MAESTRO, Jesús G., «Cide Hamete Benengeli y los narradores del Quijote», en Lectures d’une oeuvre: «Don Quichotte» de Cervantes, ed. J.-P. Sánchez, Paris, Éditions du Temps, 2001, pp. 96-127.
MARÍN CEPEDA, Patricia, Cervantes y la corte de Felipe II: escritores en el entorno de Ascanio Colonna (1560-1608), Madrid, Polifemo, 2015.
MÁRQUEZ VILLANUEVA, Francisco, Trabajos y días cervantinos, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 1995.
MARTÍN MORÁN, José Manuel, Cervantes y el «Quijote» hacia la novela moderna, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 2009.
MONTERO REGUERA, José, El «Quijote» y la crítica contemporánea, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 1997.
REDONDO, Augustin, Otra manera de leer el «Quijote»: historia, tradiciones culturales y literatura, Madrid, Castalia, 1997.
RICO, Francisco, El texto del «Quijote», Valladolid, Universidad de Valladolid, 2005.
RILEY, Edward C., Teoría de la novela en Cervantes, trad. de C. Sahagún, 3.ª ed., Madrid, Taurus, 1981
RUIZ PÉREZ, Pedro, La distinción cervantina: poesía e historia, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 2006.
WILLIAMSON, Edwin, El «Quijote» y los libros de caballerías, Madrid, Taurus, 1991.
[Nota bene: molti di questi materiali didattici saranno a disposizione on-line durante il corso.]

Two modalities: 1) the active participation of the student during lessons, and 2) a final oral exam of ca. 20’ (in Spanish).
A bonus (max. 2 points) on the final grade can be obtained with active and constant participation in the lessons and two cultural activities indicated by the professor.
The final exam is composed of three questions: 1) a question about a topic to discuss in detail, 2) a small text comment (always from Don Quijote), and 3) a presentation on a free choice issue about the reception of the novel in the posterity (cinema, literature, music, painting, etc.).

The course consists of theoretical and practical lessons (analysis of literary texts): furthermore the explanations, students will have to prepare the readings to discuss critically among the lessons.

Teaching language: Spanish.
The document «Calendario» in Moodle (online since the first lesson) provides the activities and readings of the course day-by day.

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