Introduction to european and latin american fiction: great books on the page and on the screen

2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

None

This subject serves as a broad introduction to the field of European and Latin American fiction. It is designed to help students acquire a general understanding of major fictional modes. We will pay attention not only to the literary movements these works represent, but also to the subtle interplay of history, geography, language and cultural norms that gave rise to specific literary forms. The books we read in this course are compelling, and film versions of five of the works we read give variety to the course and time to think about the interplay of film and print.

This course is designed for a variety of students. Some will be taking a literature course for the first time, others may have taken literature but may not have had experience with the kinds of approaches to texts that characterize this subject.

This subject is a “communication intensive” class. That means that in our work together, students will have the opportunity to refine their written and oral communication skills. There will be a variety of writing exercises in the course of the term. Some will be very short—one page; others will be two page responses; some will allow you to be creative. Students will also write two essays. The first will be corrected and discussed individually before the final version is due. Students will also make formal oral presentations that will afford the opportunity to hone presentation skills. Each student will be responsible for choosing one or two of the films or novels to present to the class.

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