SPANISH LITERATURE 1

As part of the core curriculum of the European, American and Postcolonial Languages and Literatures programme, this course forms part of the Master’s programme in Spanish Literature, offering an in-depth study of early 20th-century Spanish poetry, with a particular focus on the Generation of ’27 and its role in defining Iberian and European literary modernity. With a view to the centenary in 2027, the course aims to provide students with historical-critical, theoretical and methodological tools to analyse the group’s texts, poetic styles, authors and cultural networks, thereby strengthening the skills in literary interpretation, historical contextualisation and critical reflection that are central to the Master’s programme.

Attendance and active participation in the three educational activities proposed by the course (lectures, thematic seminars for in-depth study, multidisciplinary laboratory) and individual study will allow students to:
1. Knowledge and Understanding
● Know the basic linguistic terminology and understand texts that use it;
● Know the properties of different language modules and understand their interaction;
● Know the basics of the mental structure of language and the process of linguistic acquisition of the mother tongue and the foreign language, with particular reference to English.
2. Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
● (Know the basic linguistic terminology and understand texts that use it.) Be able to correctly use linguistic terminology in all processes of application and communication of acquired knowledge;
● (Know the properties of different language modules and understand their interaction.) Be able to perform a simple linguistic analysis of different aspects of one's mother tongue and the English language, taking into account the universal properties of language and the parameters of interlinguistic variation with respect to some specific phenomena;
● (Know the basics of the mental structure of language and the process of linguistic acquisition of the mother tongue and the foreign language.) Be able to apply linguistic metacompetence to the acquisition of the foreign language and the use of academic Italian.
3. Judgment Skills
● Be able to formulate and argue simple hypotheses, also developing a critical approach to the evaluation of alternative hypotheses.
4. Communication Skills
● Be able to communicate the specifics of linguistic reflection, using appropriate terminology;
● Be able to interact with peers and the tutor, critically and respectfully, both in person and on the virtual classroom forum.
5. Learning Skills
● Be able to take notes and share them collaboratively on the online platform;
● Be able to critically consult reference texts and the bibliography contained therein.

Knowledge of the general frameworks of the Spanish language, Spanish history, and Spanish literature acquired through the basic historical teachings of the three-year degree course in Language, Civilisation and the Science of Language.

The course examines the Generation of ’27 within the context of 20th-century Spanish poetry and in relation to the centenary in 2027. It will explore the historical and cultural context of the 1920s and 1930s, the 1927 tribute to Góngora, the relationship between tradition and the avant-garde, pure poetry, neo-popularism, surrealism, formal experimentation, and so on. The lectures will focus on the group’s leading authors —Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Vicente Aleixandre, Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Luis Cernuda, Gerardo Diego, Dámaso Alonso, Emilio Prados and Manuel Altolaguirre— and other figures associated with the Generation of ’27. Particular attention will be paid to the common themes in the poetry of the ‘27’ movement and to the ways in which these authors renewed the Spanish poetic language.

Reference texts:

- Federico García Lorca, Romancero gitano, ed. Cátedra / Castalia / Austral.
- Federico García Lorca, Poeta en Nueva York, ed. Cátedra / Galaxia Gutenberg.
- Rafael Alberti, Marinero en tierra, ed. Cátedra / Alianza.
- Rafael Alberti, Sobre los ángeles, ed. Cátedra.
- Vicente Aleixandre, La destrucción o el amor, ed. Cátedra / Castalia.
- Pedro Salinas, La voz a ti debida. Razón de amor, ed. Cátedra / Alianza.
- Jorge Guillén, Cántico, ed. Cátedra / Castalia.
- Luis Cernuda, La realidad y el deseo, ed. Cátedra / Alianza / Fondo de Cultura Económica.
- Gerardo Diego, Antología poética, ed. Cátedra / Castalia.
- Dámaso Alonso, Hijos de la ira, ed. Castalia / Cátedra.
- Emilio Prados, poesie scelte.
- Manuel Altolaguirre, poesie scelte.
- Ernestina de Champourcín, Concha Méndez, Josefina de la Torre, poesie scelte.

Further poems and critical texts will be made available during the course.

Anthologies

- Gerardo Diego, ed., Poesía española. Antología 1915-1931, Madrid, Signo, 1932.
- Francisco Javier Díez de Revenga, ed., Antología de la poesía española del 27, Madrid, Castalia.
- Pedro C. Cerrillo, ed., Antología poética del Grupo del 27, Madrid, Akal.
- Antología comentada de la Generación del 27, Madrid, Espasa-Calpe.
- Pepa Merlo, ed., Peces en la tierra. Antología de mujeres poetas en torno a la Generación del 27, Sevilla, Fundación José Manuel Lara.

General and critical texts

- José-Carlos Mainer, La Edad de Plata 1902-1939, Madrid, Cátedra.
- Francisco Javier Díez de Revenga, La Generación del 27, Madrid, Síntesis.
- Francisco Javier Díez de Revenga, Panorama crítico de la Generación del 27, Madrid, Castalia.
- C.B. Morris, A Generation of Spanish Poets 1920-1936, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
- Andrew A. Anderson, El Veintisiete en tela de juicio, Madrid, Gredos.
- Andrew P. Debicki, Historia de la poesía española del siglo XX: desde la modernidad hasta el presente. Madrid: Gredos.
- Dámaso Alonso, La lengua poética de Góngora, Madrid, CSIC.
- José Ortega y Gasset, La deshumanización del arte, Madrid, Revista de Occidente.
- Guillermo de Torre, Literaturas europeas de vanguardia, Madrid, Caro Raggio.
- Ian Gibson, Federico García Lorca, Barcelona, Crítica.
- Carlos Bousoño, La poesía de Vicente Aleixandre, Madrid, Gredos.
- Philip Silver, Luis Cernuda: el poeta en su leyenda, Madrid, Castalia.
- Tània Balló, Las Sinsombrero. Sin ellas, la historia no está completa, Barcelona, Espasa.
- Shirley Mangini, Las modernas de Madrid. Las grandes intelectuales españolas de la vanguardia, Barcelona, Península.
- María Zambrano, Filosofía y poesía, Madrid, Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Further texts providing theoretical background will be made available during the course.

The teaching includes two complementary methods of assessment aimed at verifying the general knowledge and text analysis skills acquired during the course.
The written test consists of an analysis in Spanish of one or more texts agreed upon with the lecturer. The oral test consists of an interview with the lecturer.
Additionally, to pass the course, constant and active participation in lessons and seminars, as well as the completion of analysis exercises, are required.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

Assessment Grid (regardless of attendance mode):
28-30L: mastery of the topics covered in lectures and manuals; ability to prioritize information; use of appropriate technical terminology;
26-27: good knowledge of the topics covered in lectures and, to a lesser extent, in manuals; fair ability to organize information and present it orally; familiarity with technical terminology;
24-25: not always in-depth knowledge of the topics covered in lectures and manuals; orderly oral presentation but not always correct use of technical terminology;
22-23: often superficial knowledge of the topics covered in lectures and manuals; unclear oral presentation and lacking in technical terminology;
18-21: occasionally incomplete knowledge of the topics covered in lectures and manuals; confused oral presentation with little use of technical terminology.

Lectures and seminars in Spanish. The course will combine theoretical and practical lessons: in addition to the lecturer's lessons, the student will have to prepare the mandatory and supplementary readings to discuss them critically during the lessons. Some texts and other critical materials will be available on the university's Moodle platform.