Module Identifier SP20810  
Module Title MODERN SPANISH POETRY  
Academic Year 2000/2001  
Co-ordinator Professor Robert Havard  
Semester Semester 2  
Pre-Requisite (Normally) Eligibility for entry to Level 2 Spanish  
Course delivery Lecture   12  
  Seminars / Tutorials   4 2 seminars, 2 tutorials  
Assessment Continuous assessment   3 essays of c.1,200-1,500 words.   100%  

Brief description
This module looks in depth at three major Spanish poets of the twentieth century. Emphasis is placed on developing close reading skills and an awareness of key aspects of modern European thought. All three poets are intensely Spanish and offer vital perspectives on modern ideas. They share the conviction that poetry is the medium in which to probe important issues, notably that of the self and reality.

Pedro Salinas, Spain's greatest love poet since Becquer, with his deceptively simple technique, but whose work probes challenging metaphysical issues.

Federico Garcia Lorca, at his most avant-garde in New York, where he experiments with Freudian free association in an attempt to understand his enigmatic self.

Jorge Guillen, a vitalist who looks at the world in a phenomenological way, and who owes much to Ortega and to the European metaphysical tradition.

There is no examination; assessment is by three term essays.

Syllabus

Weeks 1-4 Jorge Guillen, Cantico
5-8 Pedro Salinas: La voz a ti debida
9-12 Garcia Lorca, Poeta en Nueva York

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students should have:

1) a sound knowledge of three poets of the 1927 Generation in Spain
2) a good knowledge of how to apply close reading skills

Reading Lists
Books
** Essential Reading
Pedro Salinas. La voz a ti debida. Castalia
Federico Garcia Lorca. Poeta en Nueva York. Austral editorial
Jorge Guillen. Cantico. Seix Barral