31174 - Hispano-American Literature 2

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows the general lines of the history of the literature, is able to read, to understand and to translate spanish-american texts and, at the same time, is able to use the methods and the analytical tools, to interpret the works of the principal authors, in relationship to the context of the culture and the historical period of reference.

Course contents

Representing America. European and American landscapes.
The course will be divided into two modules. During the first half of the lessons, the study of Latin American literary and cultural history will be followed by the evolution of some central conceptual issues for understanding the American world (Conquest, Mestizaje, National Identity vs. Continental Identity, etc.).
The second half of the course will be devoted to deepening the construction of the idea of America; following a chronological line, we will deal with the reading and study of European representations (during the colonial and illuministic times) and later self-representations in post-independent and contemporary times.

Readings/Bibliography

Literary and cultural history:

Textbook:

Perassi, Emilia e Laura Scarabelli, Itinerari di Cultura Ispanoamericana, Torino, UTET, 2011 [I anno: Prima parte; II anno: Seconda e Terza Parte; III anno: Quarta parte].

In order to acquire the basic informations about author and genres used in the Dossiers (infra), students are invited to reference to one of these other textbooks:

José Miguel Oviedo, Historia de la literatura hispanoamericana, Madrid, Alianza, 1995-2001.

Giuseppe Bellini, Historia de la literatura hispanoamericana, Madrid, Castalia, 1985.

Readeings:

I year: Dossier (First year)

II year: Dossier (Second Year)

III year: 4 books chosen from this list

YURKIEVICH S., Fundadores de la nueva poesía latinoamericana. Vallejo, Huidobro, Borges, Girondo, Neruda, Paz, Barcelona, Seix Barral, 1973.

FUENTES C., La nueva novela hispanoamericana, Joaquín Mortiz, 1998.

MARIÁTEGUI J.C., Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana, Caracas, Biblioteca Ayacucho, 2006 [http://www.bibliotecayacucho.gob.ve/fba/index.php?id=97& tt_products=69]

MARTÍNEZ ESTRADA E., Radiografía de la pampa, Buenos Aires, F.C.E, 1993.

PAZ O., El laberinto de la soledad, Ciudad de México, F.C.E., 1972.

RAMA A., Transculturación narrativa en América Latina, Buenos Aires, El andariego, 2008.

SARDUY S., Ensayos generales sobre el Barroco, Ciudad de México, F. C. E., 1987.

FERNÁNDEZ RETAMAR Roberto, Para Una Teoría De La Literatura Hispanoamericana, Ciudad de México, Nuestro Tiempo, 1981.

CORNEJO POLAR Antonio, Escribir en el aire. Ensayo sobre la heterogeneidad cultural en las literaturas andinas, Lima, CELACP, 2003.

GRUZINSKI S., El pensamiento mestizo : cultura amerindia y civilización del Renacimiento, Buenos Aires, Paidós, 2007.

MIGNOLO Walter, Historias locales, diseños globales : colonialidades, conocimientos y pensamiento fronterizo, Barcelona, Akal, 2003.

MIGNOLO Walter, L'idea di America Latina: geostoria di una teoria decoloniale, Mimesis, 2013.

CORNEJO POLAR, A. (1978). "El indigenismo y las literaturas heterogéneas: Su doble estatuto socio-cultural" in Revista de Crítica Literaria Latinoamericana, 4 (7/8), 7-21

Lander, E. (2000). La colonialidad del saber. Eurocentrismo y ciencias sociales. Perspectivas latinoamericanas, Buenos Aires, Clacso.

Ortiz, F., Contrapunteo cubano del tabaco y el azúcar, Caracas, Fundacion Biblioteca Ayacucho, 1987.

Fernández Retamar, R., Todo Calibán, Buenos Aires, CLACSO, 2005, [http://bibliotecavirtual.clacso.org.ar/ar/libros/caliban/caliban.html ]

Rojas Mix, Miguel, I cento nomi d'America, Firene, Le Lettere, 2006.

O'Gorman, Edmundo, La invención de América, Ciudad de México, 1958 (I ed.).

 

II module "Representing America...":

Primary Sources:

Sarmiento, D.F., Facundo. Civilización y barbarie, Madrid, Cátedra, 1993 (passi scelti).

Martí, José, Nuestra América in Id., Nuestra América (colección de ensayos), Caracas, Fundación Ayacucho, 2005, pp. 31-39 [http://www.bibliotecayacucho.info/wp?Descargar=3156 ; da qui è possibile scaricare il pdf dell'intero libro].

Rodó, José Enrique, Ariel, Madrid, Cátedra, 2004 (passi scelti).

Ramos, Samuel, El perfil del hombre y la cultura en México, Ciudad de México, Espasa Calpe, 1972 (passi scelti).

Fernández Retamar, Roberto, Calibán in Id., Todo Calibán, Buenos Aires, CLACSO, 2005, pp. 19-81 [http://bibliotecavirtual.clacso.org.ar/ar/libros/caliban/caliban.html ; da qui è possibile scaricare i pdf di ogni capitolo].

Secondary Sources:

Rojas Mix, Miguel, I cento nomi d'America, Firene, Le Lettere, 2006.

O'Gorman, Edmundo, La invención de América, Ciudad de México, 1958 (I ed.).

Marchetti, Giovanni Gentile, Cultura indígena e integración nacional: la "Historia Antigua de México" de F.J. Clavijero, Veracruz, Universidad Veracruzana, 1986.

Balletta, Edoardo, "Mutamenti (post)coloniali di un discorso identitario: Il fantasma dell'indigeno nella proposta di Samuel Ramos" in G. C. Marras & R. Badini (a cura di), Intrecci di culture: Marginalità ed Egemonia in America Latina e Mediterraneo, Roma, Meltemi, 2008, pp. 87-106.

 

Teaching methods

The course includes, in addition to lectures, the seminar investigation of certain issues relating to the sources studied, as well as the instruments, theoretical and methodological, relevant to their study (more information in this regard will be provided during class).

Assessment methods

1st year:
For the first year students, the exam will consist on only an oral exam that will cover the subjects of the course.
The purpose of the exam is to evaluate the critical and methodological skills acquired by the student who will have to demonstrate the appropriate knowledge of the content of the texts examined and the proposed bibliography. The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the themes addressed to the lesson, combined with their critical use, the demonstration of expressive and specific language mastery will be evaluated with excellence marks.
Mostly mnemonic knowledge of the subject, inadequate synthesis and analysis skills and a correct but not always appropriate language will lead to discrete evaluations.
Approximate knowledge, superficial understanding, poor analytical skills, and inappropriate expression will lead to judging between sufficiency and little more.
Lack of training, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the content and bibliographic materials proposed in the program will only be evaluated negatively.

2nd and 3rd year:

The exam will be divided into two parts: (a) paper (tesina) of approx. 15 pages and (b) oral exam.
(A) The paper (which must be delivered to the teacher at least one week before the date they intend to take the exam), this will be the analysis of a topic or text that has been dealt with during the course. (Non-attending students are strongly invited to contact the teacher for useful guidance on this).

A coherently developed essay, well written, does not have a certain perspicacity interpretative will lead to an evaluation of excellence; The lack of one or more qualities mentioned, will lead to evaluations that will result in discrete or sufficient evaluations; an incoherent, insufficiently developed, scarcely, or entirely related to the themes that are touched in the course, or obviously the result of copy and paste, will not allow the student to be admitted to the oral exam.

(B) The oral examination will consist of an interview about the subjects of the course. As for the first year, the interview will be aimed at evaluating the critical and methodological abilities matured by the student who will have to demonstrate appropriate knowledge of the content of the texts examined and the proposed bibliography. The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the themes dealt with in conjunction with their critical use, the demonstration of expressive and specific language skills will be evaluated with excellence marks.
Mostly mnemonic knowledge of the subject, inadequate synthesis and analysis skills and a correct but not always appropriate language will lead to discrete evaluations.
Approximate knowledge, superficial understanding, poor analytical skills, and inappropriate expression will lead to judging between sufficiency and little more.
Lack of training, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the content and bibliographic materials proposed in the program will only be evaluated negatively.

Teaching tools

Images, texts and powerpoint slides

Office hours

See the website of Edoardo Balletta