SPAN410

This writing-intensive, four-credit course will concentrate on the contemporary literature of Latin America. The course will present a panoramic view of the short story, poetry, drama, and essay written in the Hispanic Americas since the early 20th century. It will introduce writers identified with the post-modernist and vanguardista movements, as well as those of the Latin American boom and post-boom periods, including contemporary women writers. Among other writers, we will read three Nobel Prize winners, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Octavio Paz, all of whom have left their mark indelibly in regional letters and beyond. Throughout the course we will focus on distinctive features of contemporary Latin American literature and pay attention to the relationship between literature and society. All of the readings will be in Spanish and the class will be conducted in Spanish as well. It is recommended that students take at least one upper level course before signing up for this one.