Comparative Literature 204 - WRITINGS AND REWRITINGS

Topics course. This course is devoted to a slow reading of Don Quijote de la Mancha (1605?15), allegedly the first and most influential modern novel. Our approach to this hilarious masterpiece by Cervantes is through a "queering" focus, i.e., as a text that exposes all sorts of binary oppositions (literary, sexual, social, religious and ethnic), such as: high-low, tradition vs. individual creativity, historical vs. literary truth, man vs. woman, authenticity vs. performance, Moor vs. Christian, humorous vs. tragic. The course also covers the crucial role played by Don Quixote in the development of modern and postmodern novelistic concepts (multiple narrators, fictional authors, palimpsest, dialogism) and examples of its worldwide impact. With an optional 1-credit course in Spanish (SPN 356) for those who want to perfect their linguistic and literary skills by reading, translating and commenting selected sections of Miguel de Cervantes' masterpiece and additional secondary literature in Spanish.

Topic: Writings and Rewritings: Queering Don Quixote.