The Picaresque Hero: Rogue (Picaro), Anti-Hero, Citizen
SPAN 233
Fall 2015
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
COL 223 |
A new type of character, the rogue or pícaro, emerges in early modern fiction, in a new genre (we now call the picaresque) built around an anti-hero. This course explores how and why the anti-hero displaced the virtuous ideal of the hero prevailing in classical and medieval literature. Through Spanish picaresque novels written between 1554 and 1647, we will trace the pícaro as a character who evokes, parodies, and subverts the attributes associated with the ideal citizen. To understand how the picaresque accomplishes this, we will look at its interplay with competing, often idealizing, genres (such as autobiography, lives of saints and soldiers, inquisitorial confessions, the arts of letter writing, etc.), together with political theory and natural-law theories of the period. Finally, we will look ahead to 20th-century examples of picaresque narrative such as Louis-Ferdinand Céline's JOURNEY TO THE END OF THE NIGHT or E. L. Doctorow's BILLY BATHGATE, considering what picaresque characters mean for us now. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (COL)(RMST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Anonymous, VIDA DE LAZARILLO DE TORMES (1554)
Anonymous, SEGUNDA PARTE DE LA VIDA DE LAZARILLO DE TORMES (1555)
Mateo Alemán, GUZMAN DE ALFARACHE (1599, 1604)
López de Ubeda, LA PICARA JUSTINA (1605)
Salas Barbadillo, LA HIJA DE CELESTINA (1612)
Juan de Luna, SEGUNDA PARTE DEL LAZARILLO (1620)
Quevedo, HISTORIA DE LA VIDA DEL BUSCON (1626)
Anonymous, LA VIDA Y HECHOS DE ESTEBANILLO GONZALEZ (1646)
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Examinations and Assignments:
Weekly responses; a creative writing assignment (10 pp.); final research paper (10 pp.); oral presentation; attendance and informed participation. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
SPAN 233 is intended for students who have completed SPAN 221 with a B- or better. Students who have not done so should consult with the professor before preregistering. Readings, written assignments, and class discussions will be in Spanish. Only COL students may take this course CR/U. Reading and writing are the best ways for adult learners to improve their spoken Spanish. You will therefore improve all of your language skills in this course. |
| Instructor(s): Souto Alcalde,David Times: ..T.R.. 07:00PM-08:20PM; Location: FISK404; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 18 | | SR major: 10 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 5 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | JR non-major: 1 | SO: 2 | FR: 1 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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