Module Identifier SP20720  
Module Title ROMANTICISM AND REALISM  
Academic Year 2000/2001  
Co-ordinator Professor Robert Havard  
Semester Semester 1  
Other staff Professor Gwynne Edwards, Dr Rob Stone, Mr Roger Mills  
Pre-Requisite (Normally) Eligibility for entry to Level 2 Spanish  
Course delivery Lecture   22  
  Seminars / Tutorials   4  
Assessment Exam   2 Hours   60%  
  Continuous assessment   2 essays of 1500 - 2,000 words   40%  

Brief description
Why did attitudes change so radically in the Romantic period, now generally considered the start of modern times? This module begins by considering Spanish Romanticism in relation to its political and cultural context (The Napoleonic Wars; the 'decada ominosa' of the 1820s). Romanticism's distinctive ethos is traced in specific works of theatre and poetry which highlight the anguished concerns of the time. Following the political changes of 1868, the last third of the 19th century saw a revival of the Spanish novel, and this module continues by focussing on two major examples of the genre.

Syllabus

Weeks 1-2 Introduction to Romanticism and Riva's Don Alvaro
3-5 Becquer, Rimas y leyendas
5-7 Rosalia de Castro, En las orillas del sar
8-10 Introduction to Realism and Galdos's La de Bringas
11-12 Blasco Ibanez, La barraca

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should have:

1) acquired a sound knowledge of the Romantic movement in Spain and a similar knowledge of the main features relating to the realist novel

Reading Lists
Books
** Essential Reading
Duque de Rivas. Don Alvaro. Austral editorial
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer. Rimas y leyendas. Austral editorial
Rosalia de Castro. En las orillas del Sar. Castalia
Perez Galdos. La de Bringas. Catedra
Pardo Bazan. Los pazos de Ulloa. Castalia
Benito Perez Galdos. (1999) Misericordia (from 2001). Biblioteca Perez Galdos, Alianza
Vicente Blasco Ibanez. (1992) La barraca (from 2000). Plaza y Janes, Barcelona