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Academic Year 2004/2005

Representations of the Spanish Civil War in Narrative and Film
SPAN 247 FA

This course will study the Spanish Civil War through some of its representations in narrative and film. The Spanish Civil War was not only the threshold of the fascist dictatorship in Spain, but also an international battlefield that served Hitler as an experiment for the Second World War. As the first international fight against fascism, the nonintervention decision taken by the United States, among other democratic countries, will be analyzed. The course will focus on the representation of this historical event through novels and short stories that range from the end of the war to the present. Some in class time will be devoted to the depiction of the war in a number of famous films and documentaries. Special attention will be given to the effects on literature of the transformation of cultural and political frameworks that accompanied the transition to democracy in 1975, and also to the many different approaches taken by contemporary writers and artists to represent the most significant historical occurrence of this century in Spain.

MAJOR READINGS

Ana Maria Matute, PRIMERA MEMORIA
Jose Asenjo Sedano, CONVERSACION SOBRE LA GUERRA
Manual Vazquez Montalban, EL PIANISTA
Julio Llamazares, LUNA DE LOBOS
Antonio Munoz Molina, EL JINETE POLACO
And also a selection of short stories by Esther Tusquets, Ignacio Aldecoa, Max Aub, Javier Marias, etc.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

The students will write four take-home exams, in which they are expected to provide a throrough understanding of the ideas developed through the close reading of texts in class. In order to help the students think about some controversial issues, the professor will provide them with a list of questions somehow related to the content of each exam. As a final project, the students are expected to write an essay relating most of the material under a new creative light.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

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

Prerequisites: SPAN221 Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-21-2005

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