Spring 2009
SPANISH 621/832K –SURVEY OF SPANISH AMERICAN
LITERATURE/SELECTED LATIN AMERICAN THEATRE
MW 7:05-8:20 p.m., 419 Jardine Hall
Department of Modern and Classical Languages
Wichita State University
Faculty:
Office:
Office hours:
Phone and voice mail:
E-mail:
Maria Akrabova
407-A Jardine Hall
M, W 2:30-4:20 p.m.; 5:50-6:50 p.m. (call or e-mail for
alternative appointment on T TH)
978-5991
maria.akrabova@wichita.edu
Catalogue Description:
Survey of Latin American Literature/Selected Spanish American Theatre (832K only) [3
credit hours].
Course Objectives:
Introduction to major topics, authors and currents in 20th Century Spanish American
literature. Survey of the cultural, historical and literary background that framed the
development of the 20th Century Spanish American poetry, theatre and short story.
Major Topics:
Critical analysis of the following genres: poetry, short story and drama. Major critical and
aesthetic trends.
Prerequisite(s):
SPAN 300 or three units of high school Spanish or departmental consent.
Readings (all):
 Voces de Hispanoamérica (3rd edition)—Textbook by Raquel Chang-Rodríguez and

Malva E. Filer
Course packet (handouts and e-copies on Blackboard)
o POETRY: selected poems by Xavier Villaurrutia, Nicanor Parra, Olga
Orozco.
o SHORT STORY:
 “La gallina degollada” by Horacio Quiroga
 “Continuidad de los parques” by Julio Cortázar
 “El Aleph” by Jorge Luis Borges
 “Luvina” by Juan Rulfo
 “Love story” by Elena Poniatowska
 “Cambio de armas” by Luisa Valenzuela (optional)
o ESSAY:

“Sepa por qué es usted machista” by María Elena Walsh
(optional)
Graduate Readings (SPAN 832K only)
1. Florencio Sánchez, Barranca Abajo
2. Rodolfo Usigli, El gesticulador (o Corona de sombra)
3. Emilio Carballido, Yo también hablo de la rosa (o El censo)
4. Griselda Gambaro, Antígona furiosa
5. Sabina Berman, Entre Villa y una mujer desnuda
Films:
Eréndira (based on the story by García Márquez) (selected scenes: magical realism)
Neruda’s postman/ Il Postino (based on Ardiente paciencia by Antonio Skármeta) –
selected scenes
Evaluation Criteria:
SPAN 621
Class participation
10%
Journal and prepared questions
for class discussion
10%
Short quizzes
5%
Research and Presentation: Poetry 10%
Research and Presentation: Narrative 10%
Test 1:
10%
Test 2:
10%
Test 3:
10%
Test 4 (Take-home)
15%
Literary Analysis
10%
SPAN 832
Class participation & graduate
discussions
Annotated Bibliography
Presentation on theatre
Test 1:
Test 2:`
Test 3:
Test 4 (Take-home)
Final Paper
15%
10%
10%
10 %
10 %
10 %
20 %
15%
Grade components:
A. SPAN 621
Class participation. Coming to class prepared and participating in the discussions is
essential for the successful completion of this course. Make sure you have done all the
readings before coming to class.
Journal. For each class session you should bring a journal entry related to the readings to
be discussed. For poetry: write a 2-4 line description/opinion of all poems scheduled to
be discussed this day. For short story: write a short (1 paragraph) summary of the plot.
For drama: select 3 characters from the play to be discussed the same day and give a 2-5
sentence description/characterization. Essay: write a one-paragraph reaction to the essay
to be discussed. Journals will be collected four times during the semester. Typed entries
are preferred.
Quizzes. You can expect short pop-quizzes related to each genre/reading.
Research and Presentation. For both poetry and narrative (short story or essay), you
should find, read, and present to the class a work (one poem, one short story/essay) not
included in the reading list. In order to avoid overlapping, DO NOT use the textbook as a
source, but instead utilize the library resources. Remember: your authors should be from
Latin America, and the texts should not pre-date 1900.
Tests. Three tests will be administered during the course of the semester. They will
include questions on genre definition, cultural background, and on discussed readings. A
fourth test will be given as a take-home assignment, and should be turned in the last day
of classes.
Literary Analysis. A 5-7 page essay on a work in one of the discussed genres.
B. SPAN 823K
Class participation and graduate discussion. Active class participation is expected and
encouraged. A schedule of graduate discussions and related readings will be distributed
additionally. When discussing a specific literary work, one or more students will be in
charge to present a general overview of the text(s) and the scholarly article they have read
on said text(s).
Work
Florencio Sánchez, Barranca Abajo
Rodolfo Usigli, El gesticulador (o Corona
de sombra)
Emilio Carballido, Yo también hablo de la
rosa (o El censo)
Griselda Gambaro, Antígona furiosa
or
Sabina Berman, Entre Villa y una mujer
desnuda
Student
Student 1:
Student 2:
Student 1:
Student 2:
Student 1:
Student 2:
Student 1:
Student 2:
Presentation on Latin American Theatre. This is a group project. Based on our
graduate discussions, you will present major figures and works of Latin American
Theatre to the rest of the class.
Annotated Bibliography. For all texts included in the graduate discussions (by Sánchez,
Usigli, Carballido, Gambaro and Berman), students must read at least one scholarly
article and create an annotated citation, using the MLA style. The final Annotated
Bibliography will contain 1) your own entry for each article; 2) the entries for each
article, supplied by your classmates during the graduate discussions.
Tests. See description above.
Final paper. A 10-12 page literary analysis of a selected text in any of the four genres.
Texts not included in the course list may be used too. You may opt to do an analysis of an
aspect of a theatrical text commented during the graduate discussions.
PROGRAMA DEL CURSO / COURSE CALENDAR
(Assignments are listed for the day they should be prepared for. All readings should be
done before class. ALWAYS READ THE BIOGRAPHY NOTE ON EACH AUTHOR.)
En clase (Texto)
Week 1
W
1/21
Week 2
M
1/26
W
1/28
Week 3
M
2/2
W
2/4
Introducción al curso. La literatura como arte y fenómeno estético.
Introducción a la poesía. “La realidad americana y la renovación literaria”
(197-206)
Lugones: “Delectación amorosa”, “Divagación lunar”, “A
los gauchos”, “Salmo pluvial”, “El jilguero”.
Darío: “Era un aire suave...”, “Sonatina”, “El cisne”, “Yo soy aquel...”, “A
Roosevelt”, “Lo fatal”, “Los cisnes”, “Canción de otoño en primavera”,
“El velo de la reina Mab”, “Lillo”, “El Chiflón del Diablo”.
Darío (cont.)
Week 4
M
2/9
Graduate students meet this week. /Journals due on Wednesday
Nájera: “Para entonces”, “La duquesa Job”, “De blanco”, “La mañana de
San Juan”. Silva: “Nocturno”, “Vejeces”, “Paisaje tropical”.
W
Nájera/Silva (cont.)
2/11
Week 5
M
2/16
W
2/18
Martí: “Mi caballero”, “Sobre mi hombro”, “Versos sencillos”, “Copa con
alas”, “Poética”, “Dos patrias”, “Domingo triste”.
Martí (cont.)
“Continuidsad y ruptura: hacia una nueva expresión” (p. 279-292)
Week 6
M
2/23
W
2/25
Week 7
M
3/2
W
3/4
Examen 1
Mistral: “Los sonetos de la muerte”, “Sueño grande”, “Pan”, “La
desvelada”.
Storni: “Tú me quieres blanca”, “Cuadrados y ángulos”, “Peso ancestral”,
“Hombre pequeñito”, “El hijo”.
Vallejo: “Los heraldos negros XXVIII”, “Voy a hablar de la esperanza”,
“Piedra negra sobre una piedra blanca”, “Masa”.
Week 8
M
3/9
Graduate students meet this week./Journals due on Wednesday
Huidobro: “Nipona”, “Arte poética”, “Luna o reloj”, “Altazor o El viaje en
paracaídas”.
W
Neruda: “Poema 20”, “Walking around”, “Alturas de Macchu Picchu”,
“Oda a los calcetines”, “Estación inmóvil”.
3/11
Week 9
M
3/16
W
3/18
SPRING BREAK, no classes.
SPRING BREAK, no classes.
Week 10
M
3/23
W
3/25
Quiroga: “La gallina degollada”.
Mariátegui: “Siete ensayos de interpretación de la realidad peruana”.
Week 11
M
3/30
W
4/1
Week 12
M
4/6
W
4/8
Graduate students meet this week./ Journals due on Wednesday
Presentaciones: poesía (SPAN 621)
Examen 2
Tarea: leer “Consolidación y expansión”(p. 409-417)
Borges: “Borges y yo”, “El Aleph”.
Rulfo: “Nos han dado la tierra”, “Luvina”.
Week 13
M
4/13 Cortázar: “La isla a mediodía”, “Continuidad de los parques”.
W
4/15 Fuentes. “Chac Mool”; García Márquez: “La prodigiosa tarde de Baltazar”
Week 14
M
4/20
Allende: “Clarisa”, “La mujer del juez”.
W
Valenzuela: “Los censores”, “Cambio de armas”.
Tarea: leer “Asimilación y diferencia (p. 503-511)
4/22
Week 15
M
4/27
Graduate students meet this week./ Journals due on Wednesday
Poniatowska: “Las lavanderas”, “Esperanza número equivocado”, “Love
story” (optional).
W`
Examen 3
4/29
Week 16
M
5/4
W
5/6
Week 17
M
5/11
Presentaciones: narrativa (SPAN 621).
Repaso. Presentación sobre teatro latinoamericano (SPAN 832K)
SPAN 621: turn in Literary Analysis
SPAN 832E: turn in Final Paper
Last day of classes.
Turn in: Take-home Exam