The course involves a detailed reading of Don Quijote from a theoretical and historical perspective to explore the work's pivotal role in the development of the European realist novel. Special consideration is given to Early Modern literary theory, particularly to the commentaries on Aristotle's Poetics and the humanistic polemics on mimesis (imitation and the problem of the emulation of reality and truth in artifice), plus the history and reception of romance in Europe in the century prior to the publication of Don Quijote (1605). Close attention is paid to the interaction of Early Modern theory and moral philosophy in Don Quijote. The course will also introduce the student to the notion of Humanism, while seeking to present the major research sources in Spanish literature. In addition to looking back at the theoretical foundations of Don Quijote, we will also address its subsequent impact upon the later European novel. We will, in short, deal with the problematics of the rise of the realist novel just as students will read and compare several novels of their choosing from the later realist tradition.
3-5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
The course involves a detailed reading of Don Quijote from a theoretical and historical perspective to explore the work's pivotal role in the development of the European realist novel. Special consideration is given to Early Modern literary theory, particularly to the commentaries on Aristotle's Poetics and the humanistic polemics on mimesis (imitation and the problem of the emulation of reality and truth in artifice), plus the history and reception of romance in Europe in the century prior to the publication of Don Quijote (1605). Close attention is paid to the interaction of Early Modern theory and moral philosophy in Don Quijote. The course will also introduce the student to the notion of Humanism, while seeking to present the major research sources in Spanish literature. In addition to looking back at the theoretical foundations of Don Quijote, we will also address its subsequent impact upon the later European novel. We will, in short, deal with the problematics of the rise of the realist novel just as students will read and compare several novels of their choosing from the later realist tradition.