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CS92PROD
Urban Fantasies: The City, Sexuality, and National Identity in the Modern Spanish Novel
SPAN 251
Fall 2020
Section: 01  

The novel as we know it today reached maturity in Europe in the 19th century against the backdrop of a rapidly changing social and economic context, with the city emerging as a "capital" coordinate (literally and figuratively) on the map of national cultures. The rapid growth of a powerful bourgeoisie is a defining aspect of this cultural dynamic, manifesting itself as it does through demographic changes, urban expansion, and the rise of a bourgeois aesthetic that will come to influence art, literature, and all other forms of cultural expression for decades to come. In Spain, these phenomena are reflected acutely by one of the nation's greatest novelists, Leopoldo Alas ("Clarín"; 1852-1901). Through a close reading of Clarín's "La Regenta" (1884-85), a uniquely insightful and polished work of epic scope that is widely regarded as one of Europe's greatest modern novels, we will seek to evaluate how narrative and the cityscape form interlocking textualities within each of which family, the female, and the nation are protagonist, sexuality a central theme.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA RLAN
Course Format: Lecture / DiscussionGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (HISP)(RMST)
Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74%

Last Updated on MAR-28-2024
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