Professor Reyes Vila-Belda
email: rvilabel@indiana.edu


S708	Seminar in Hispanic Studies
	Topic: Silence and Cultural Production in Postwar Spain


M 2:30pm – 5:00pm/section# 27250/3cr/Location TBA


In this seminar we will study the culture of the first decades of
Franco’s dictatorship from an interdisciplinary socio-economic and
historical perspective and view the textual production of the period
as an instrument of resistance in the face of the repression and
political marginalization imposed by the victors of the Spanish
Civil War. We will also consider subsequent cultural texts produced
years later that reflect the political struggle against the
dictatorship. We will concentrate on the governmental imposition of
silence trough censorship, as well as the representation of those
discriminated against, based on gender or class, and analyze how
that cultural output challenged the authoritarian system. Particular
attention will be given to repressive practices, and its impact on
the textual and rhetorical strategies used by these authors, such as
ellipsis, humor or irony, to transmit their message.

Starting from Michael Richards’ theoretical approach to the
understanding of the Spanish political autarky, we will read a
variety of texts representing different genres: a selection of
poetry, one play, comics and films, and narratives such as La
colmena, by Camilo J. Cela, "Nada" by Carmen Laforet and "La voz
dormida" by Dulce Chacón, among others. Special attention will be
given to the study of the imposition of social norms and dictatorial
restrictions as seen through the eyes of Carmen Martín Gaite
in "Usos amorosos de la postguerra española". Further secondary
readings draw from selections by different critics.

Requirements: Class discussion, Seminar-topic class presentation,
and a long final research paper.