Ateneo - UPO

This is a survey course that traces the main stages of Spanish literature from its origins to the early twentieth century, focusing on literary movements, aesthetics and major authors, taking into account the historical context and adopting a comparative perspective attentive to the wider European context. Equal weight will be given to the three major genres (poetry, prose and drama).

REQUIRED READING:
- Carlos Alvar, José-Carlos Mainer, Rosa Navarro Durán, “Storia della letteratura spagnola”, ed. by Pier Luigi Crovetto, translated by Paola Tomasinelli, 2 vols., Einaudi, Turin, 2000 or later editions [or Id., “Breve historia de la literatura española”, Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1992 or later editions]
-Anthology of texts compiled by the lecturer, available on the DIR platform.


REFERENCE WORKS:
(for independent further study)
- Lina Rodríguez Cacho, “Manual de historia de la literatura española”, 2 vols., Castalia, Madrid, 2022;
- Francisco Rico (dir.), “Historia y crítica de la literatura española”, 9 vols., Crítica, Barcelona, 1979-2000;
- Loretta Frattale and Elisabetta Sarmati (eds.), “Letteratura spagnola. I testi, le idee, le immagini”, 2 vols., Le Monnier, Florence, 2026.

By means of face-to-face teaching (1,2CFU) and self-study (4,8CFU), the course aims to enable students to know and recognize the main characteristics and authors of the main literary period of the Spanish Literature. To achieve a more structured educational level, students are required to deepen this knowledge while taking the European framework into account, as well as the ability to present and defend their own judgment in a literary discussion using the appropriate terminology."

General knowledge of history of European literature from the Midleage until the XXth century.

Frontal lessons

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 conducted in Italian and will last approximately twenty minutes. The interview, aimed at assessing the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, will focus on the history of Spanish literature: students will be required to frame the main movements, genres, authors and works from the origins to the early twentieth century, identifying their formal and thematic features and situating them within the historical and cultural context of their time, also in relation to the wider European literary landscape.

The final mark will be awarded according to the following bands: 18-23 (basic level), 24-27 (intermediate level), 28-30 with honours ("lode"). Honours will be awarded to particularly outstanding performances that demonstrate a secure and in-depth knowledge of the topics covered, an excellent command of expression, full mastery of the specific terminology, and the ability to interpret literary phenomena from a comparative perspective.

The exam will be considered unsatisfactory in the presence of serious gaps in preparation, poor expressive ability, minimal command of the specific terminology and difficulty in situating literary phenomena within a broader framework.

This is a survey course that traces the main stages of Spanish literature from its origins to the early twentieth century, focusing on literary movements, aesthetics and major authors, taking into account the historical context and adopting a comparative perspective attentive to the wider European context. Equal weight will be given to the three major genres (poetry, prose and drama). The main topics covered in class are as follows:

-The Middle Ages: general overview
Early poetry, Cantar de mio Cid, Gonzalo de Berceo and the mester de clerecía
The origins of prose, Alfonso X el Sabio, Don Juan Manuel, Juan Ruiz, Arcipreste de Hita
The revival of theatre: the Auto de los Reyes Magos
-The fifteenth century: general overview
The Marqués de Santillana, Jorge Manrique, the Cancioneros
La Celestina
-The Renaissance: general overview
Poetry: Petrarchism, Boscán and Garcilaso
The Romancero, the sentimental romance, the romance of chivalry
Juan del Encina, sacred and secular drama
Mystical poetry and ascetic literature: San Juan de la Cruz, Santa Teresa, Fray Luis de León
-The Baroque: general overview
Drama: Lope de Vega and Calderón and their respective schools
Poetry: Lope de Vega, Quevedo, Góngora
Narrative: the picaresque novel, the pastoral novel, the Byzantine novel; Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quijote; the courtly novella (María de Zayas)
-The eighteenth century: general overview
Academies, the periodical press
Late Baroque epigones
Padre Feijoo and the Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, Leandro Fernández de Moratín
-The nineteenth century: general overview
Romanticism: general overview; journals, polemics; Espronceda; drama (Zorrilla, Duque de Rivas, Antonio García Gutiérrez)
Post-Romanticism: Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Costumbrismo: traditionalist and critical (Mariano José de Larra)
Realism and Naturalism: general overview; Emilia Pardo Bazán, Clarín, Benito Pérez Galdós
Modernismo: Rubén Darío, Valle-Inclán
The Generation of ‘98: Miguel de Unamuno, Azorín, Antonio Machado
Ramón del Valle-Inclán: from Modernismo to the esperpento
The avant-garde: general overview; Ramón Gómez de la Serna; Ultraísmo, Creacionismo, Surrealism
The Generation of ‘27: general overview; the professor-poets, the Andalusian poets (Federico García Lorca, poet and dramatist); the influence of Surrealism, links with the Florentine Hermetic poets, impure poetry and Pablo Neruda

Guidelines for non-attending students
Non-attending students are required to study the history of Spanish literature in the set textbook (see Reference texts > Required reading) and to read the texts collected in the anthology independently, reconstructing for each one the literary and cultural context of the author and the work, also in relation to the European framework, if necessary using additional textbooks for support (see Reference texts > Reference works). The expected learning outcomes and the exam format remain unchanged. Students are advised to contact the lecturer (carlo.basso@uniupo.it) to arrange a meeting for guidance on independent study.

The expected learning outcomes are consistent with the specific outcomes of the Degree Programme. To achieve the minimum passing grade (60%), students are required to demonstrate knowledge of the main authors and movements in Spanish literary history. They must also display transferable skills, such as the ability to establish links between the general characteristics of movements and their corresponding authors. Furthermore, they must be able to recognize themes, motifs, stylistic features, language use, aesthetic characteristics, and ideological, historical, and cultural implications. The advanced level is achieved with deeper knowledge and skills, a higher level of critical depth, and appropriate expository proficiency. The maximum score is achieved with an excellent level of knowledge and skills.