SPAN-389 Contemporary Latin American Novel

Faculty:

Kirkpatrick, Gwen

In recent decades the Latin American novel has explored some of the major issues of the region (increasing urbanism, income and ethnic inequalities, emerging social movements such as indigenous and gay and lesbian movements, drug trafficking, gender issues, etc.) at the same time it has undergone a great deal of technical experimentation in relation to a period of postmodernism, the influence of cinema, and of the internet.
In this course we will explore some of these issues. We will begin with a “classic” novel, El reino de este mundo by Alejo Carpentier (the originator of “magical” or “marvellous realism”) and then jump temporally to later novels. Some of the novels we will read include the following:

Mario Bellatin, Salon de belleza
Fernando Vallejo, La virgen de los sicarios
Diamela Eltit, Mano de obra
Rita Indiana Hernandez, Papi
Daniel Alarcon, Lost City Radio
Julia Alvarez, Salome
and other selections depending on availability of texts.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

SPAN-389-01 Contemporary Latin American Novel

Faculty:

Lifshey, Adam

This course will study novels by some of the most important Latin American writers of the 1960s and early 1970s: Aura by Carlos Fuentes, Cien años de soledad by Gabriel García Márquez, Pantaleón y las visitadoras by Mario Vargas Llosa and El beso de la mujer araña by Manuel Puig. Several related films will be considered as well. Along with exploring the details of each novel in depth, students will examine and question the critical concepts often applied to this era of literary production: the Boom, the post-Boom, magic realism, etc. Certain classes will concentrate on literary theory as well. The course will be conducted in a seminar style in which frequent and creative participation by students is imperative.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2008-2009 Fall and Spring
• 2011-2012 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring

More information
Look for this course in the schedule of classes.

The academic department web site for this program may provide other details about this course.