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Academic Year 2003/2004

Cervantes
SPAN 236 SP
Crosslistings:
COL 327

Cervantes is known chiefly for DON QUIXOTE, often described as the first modern novel and fountainhead of one of the great myths. In fact, besides the chivalric novel he reimagined virtually every fashionable genre of his time: verse, theater, novella, the pastoral and the byzantine novels. Cervantes' art remains fresh and unsettling, distinguished as it is by its revaluation of humor, invention, make-believe, and play; seriousness in his textual world is not to be confused with solemnity, the typical ploy of political, religious, and intellectual orthodoxies then as now. Characteristic themes: social "reality" as artifact or fiction, the counterintuitive or paradoxical character of truths, the irreducible diversity of taste and perception, the call for consent in politics and love, personal identity (including gender) as a heroic quest. We will read, discuss, and write about DON QUIXOTE and a select few of Cervantes' other works, along with a sampling of critical, philosophical, literary, and other artistic responses they have inspired.

MAJOR READINGS

Miguel de Cervantes, DON QUIJOTE

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Four short papers (2-3 pp.), one longer paper (5-7 pp.), and one short oral presentation as preparation for the final paper.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

SPAN236 is intended for students who have completed SPAN224. Students who have not done so should consult with the professor before preregistering.

COURSE FORMAT: Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RLAN    Grading Mode: Graded   

Prerequisites: NONE Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-19-2004

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