Ateneo - UPO

The Prose of the Golden Age: The “Lazarillo” and the “Quixote” towards the Modern Novel

PRIMARY TEXTS:
- “Lazarillo de Tormes”, edición, estudio y notas de Francisco Rico, Madrid, Real Academia Española – Barcelona, Galaxia Gutenberg-Círculo de Lectores, 2011. [Alternatively: “Lazarillo de Tormes”, edición, estudio y notas de Aldo Ruffinatto, Madrid, Castalia, 2001.]
- Miguel de Cervantes, “Don Quijote de la Mancha”, edición y notas de Francisco Rico, Madrid, Real Academia Española – Barcelona, Espasa, 2015. [Alternatively: M. de Cervantes, “Don Quijote de la Mancha”, edición de John Jay Allen, Madrid, Cátedra, 1986 and later editions.]

Students wishing to use editions other than those listed are invited to contact the professor.

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Handbooks on the Spanish Golden Age:
- Lina Rodríguez Cacho, “Manual de historia de la literatura española”, Madrid, Castalia, 2022, vol. 1.
- José Carlos Mainer (coord.), “Historia de la Literatura Española”, vol. 2, “La conquista del clasicismo 1500-1598”, coord. Jorge García López et al., Barcelona, Crítica, 2013.

Tools for textual analysis:
- Cesare Segre, “Avviamento all’analisi del testo letterario”, Torino, Einaudi, 1985 and later editions.

Studies on the “Lazarillo”:
- Francisco Rico, “La novela picaresca y el punto de vista”, Madrid, Seix Barral, 1970 and later editions.
- Aldo Ruffinatto, “Las dos caras del Lazarillo: Texto y mensaje”, Madrid, Clásicos Castalia, 2000.
- Valentín Núñez Rivera, “Los libros de pícaros: una vida y varias voces (De los prólogos al texto)”, Madrid, Visor, 2024.

Studies on Cervantes and “Don Quijote”:
- Jean Canavaggio, “Cervantes”, Barcelona, Planeta, 2014 and later editions.
- José Manuel Martín Morán, “Cervantes y el «Quijote» hacia la novela moderna”, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 2009.
- Martín de Riquer, “Para leer a Cervantes”, Barcelona, Acantilado, 2003 and later editions.
- Javier Blasco, “Cervantes, raro inventor”, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 2005.

In line with the specific educational objectives of the degree programme, the course aims to help students develop the ability to find their way through the literary and cultural landscape of the Spanish Golden Age. The basic objectives are for students to develop the ability to situate the main literary genres and the most representative works of the period, with particular attention to Lazarillo de Tormes and Don Quijote, and to reflect on the evolution of the novel as a genre, refining the tools and methods of narrative text analysis they already possess and acquiring new ones. The advanced objectives are for students to attain an in-depth knowledge of the topics covered and to understand the dynamics of the novel from a diachronic perspective, relating literary techniques and themes to the evolution of the genre and analysing a narrative text independently.
For students attending classes, the 6 ECTS credits are distributed as follows: 1.2 ECTS lecture-based and interactive teaching; 4.8 ECTS independent study.

Basic knowledge of the history of Spanish literature.
Knowledge of Spanish at B2 level

Lectures, seminar on text analysis.
Projection of slides with texts, diagrams, graphs and images

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

The oral exam will be held in Spanish and will last about twenty minutes. Its aim is to assess whether students have achieved the intended learning objectives. There is no fixed number of questions; instead, the exam will focus on three main areas: 1) Historical and literary context: students will be asked to describe the main literary genres and the most important works of the Spanish Golden Age (Siglo de Oro), identify their formal and thematic features, and place them within the literary and cultural context of the period; 2) Analysis of an episode, a character or a theme from “Lazarillo” or “Don Quixote” discussed in class: students should be able to discuss it confidently and relate it to possible sources, models or later works, following the interpretive approach presented during the course; 3) Commentary on an episode from “Lazarillo” or “Don Quixote” not discussed in class: this part checks that students have actually read and understood the text and can use the tools of narrative analysis. At the advanced level, students will also be assessed on their ability to offer their own critical reading, with independent judgement and well-supported arguments.

The final mark will be given according to the following ranges: 18–23 (basic level), 24–27 (intermediate level), 28–30 with honours (advanced level). Honours will be awarded to particularly outstanding exams that show a solid and in-depth knowledge of the topics, excellent communication skills, full command of the specific terminology, and the ability to analyse a narrative text independently and offer a well-argued critical reading.

The exam will be graded as a fail if the student shows serious gaps in preparation, poor communication skills, very limited command of the specific terminology and no independent judgement.

Cervantes's Don Quixote is considered by critics to be the first modern novel and marks a turning point in the history of Western literature. However, some elements of modernity can already be found in a short and entertaining anonymous work published in the mid-sixteenth century, Lazarillo de Tormes, the first example of the picaresque novel (novela picaresca).
The course aims to offer an overview of the main literary genres and the most important works of the Spanish Golden Age (Siglo de Oro), and then focuses on Lazarillo and Don Quixote through the reading and analysis of selected passages. Particular attention will be paid to their themes, to how the characters are built and how they change over the course of the story, to their narrative techniques and to their contribution to the rise of the modern novel, with the aim of giving students the tools to identify elements of continuity and innovation compared to earlier tradition.

The course is divided into two parts:
A. MONOGRAPHIC COURSE
Lecture notes and slides.

B. GENERAL PART
Close reading of the full texts of Lazarillo and Don Quixote (see Reference texts > Required reading).
Overview of the main genres and authors of Spanish Golden Age literature.


*Information for non-attending students:*
Non-attending students must replace Part A. with the study of the following essays:
1) Aldo Ruffinatto, Las dos caras del Lazarillo: Texto y mensaje, Madrid, Clásicos Castalia, 2000;
2) José Manuel Martín Morán, Cervantes y el «Quijote» hacia la novela moderna, Alcalá de Henares, Centro de Estudios Cervantinos, 2009.
Part B does not change (see above). As further support for exam preparation, students may find it useful to refer to a good textbook on literary analysis, such as Cesare Segre, “Avviamento all’analisi del testo letterario”, Turin, Einaudi, 1985 (and later reprints).
The intended learning objectives and the exam format remain the same.

By the end of the course, students are expected to have achieved the following basic intended learning objectives:
- Knowledge: an overview of the main literary genres and the most important works of the Spanish Golden Age (Siglo de Oro), with particular attention to “Lazarillo de Tormes” and “Don Quixote”;
- Skills: the ability to relate literary techniques and themes to the development of the novel as a genre; improvement of the tools and methods for analysing narrative texts that students already have, and acquisition of new ones;
- Transferable skills: the ability to present the course content clearly and effectively, within a coherent and well-organised overall view.

To demonstrate that they have achieved advanced-level intended learning objectives, students must show:
- Knowledge: an in-depth knowledge of the topics covered and an understanding of how the novel developed over time, with particular attention to the relationship between literary techniques and themes and the evolution of the genre;
- Skills: the ability to analyse a narrative text independently, identifying elements of continuity with, or departure from, the literary canon;
- Transferable skills: the ability to express their own critical reading of the texts, with independent judgement and well-supported arguments.