Spanish Modernists: Narratives of Identity, Gender and Nation (MLS3112)

15 credits

What is Modernism? On this module, you will study the ways in which Modernism manifested itself in Spanish literary fiction alongside other art forms in the early twentieth century. You will consider the ways in which Modernists engaged with the emergence at the turn of the century of new ideas about reality and perception, and powerful debates about identity, gender and nation that were fuelled by historical events such as the 1898 disaster.

You will begin by looking at an example of Picasso’s Cubist paintings, before going on to study three works of fiction by well-known Spanish authors who belong to this period of cultural brilliance and innovation. From best-sellers to canonical fiction, you will consider how the texts reflect or resist established cultural categories and hierarchies, including a long-standing critical emphasis on Hispanic literary generations.

Students should have MLS 2001 Spanish Language or equivalent to take this module.