S420:  Modern Spanish American Prose Fiction  (3 credits)
Prerequisites:  S331 and S332 or equivalent

SUBTITLE:  Narrating Latin American Modernity.

This course will explore the concept of Modernity and how it has been
narrated in 20th century Latin American novels and short stories
written in Spanish:  What is it that we call modernity? What is it to
be modern in Latin America?  How has the experience of modernity
shaped, and been shaped by, fiction? To what extent is modernity
itself a fiction?  Paying close attention to the historical and
political contexts of textual production, some of the topics we will
discuss include time, generational gaps, popular culture, gender and
sexuality, power and resistance, and aesthetics.

Class attendance and participation are essential to the success of the
course.  Assignments will include in-class presentations, short
essays, and a final paper.  The course will be conducted entirely in
Spanish.

Readings will include:

Ricardo Güiraldes:  Don Segundo Sombra
Alejo Carpentier:  Los pasos perdidos
Gabriel García Márquez:  Cien años de soledad
Gustavo Sainz: Gazapo
Manuel Puig: El beso de la mujer araña
Marta Traba:  Conversación al sur
Alberto Fuguet:  Mala onda

S420  #4139  1:00P-2:15P  TR  BH144  Professor Alejandro Mejías-López

NOTE:  Students wishing to receive credit for honors work must
register for this course under the rubric f READINGS FOR HONORS, S498,
section #4144.