This paper is available for the academic year 2024-25.
This page is up-to-date for the texts to be taught during the 2024-25 academic year.
SP4 offers an overview of Spanish culture from the late eighteenth century to the present. Each of the paper鈥檚 thematic units will situate a range of cultural production鈥攍iterature, cinema, visual materials (painting, etchings, cartoons, photography), and state legislation鈥攚ithin its cultural, social, and political contexts.听Deploying a patently historical focus, SP4 will require students to develop knowledge of major events and central figures in modern Spanish culture while considering artistic representation as an index of the times in which these artists lived and worked. While the historical component of the paper will be emphasized in lectures, seminars, and supervisions, students will be required to engage a number of intersecting fields (literary studies, cultural studies, and cinema studies) over the course of the academic year.
NB: Many key texts can be found online for free at or
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Topics taught in Michaelmas 2024:
The Darker Side of Modernity
Francisco de Goya, Los desastres de la guerra鈥� (1810-20) PRINTS
Jos茅 Mar铆a Blanco White,听Bosquejo del comercio de esclavos (1814) ESSAY
Mariano Jos茅 de Larra,听鈥淟iteratura鈥� (1836) and 鈥淓l d铆a de difuntos de 1836鈥� (1836) ARTICLES
Jos茅 Zorrilla, Don Juan Tenorio鈥� (1844) PLAY
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(Post-) Imperial Fictions
Benito P茅rez Gald贸s,听Tormento (1884) NOVEL
Jose Rizal,听鈥淐omo se gobiernan las Filipinas鈥� (1890) and Jos茅 Mart铆,听鈥淣uestra Am茅rica鈥� (1891) ESSAY
Emilia Pardo Baz谩n, 鈥淟a exang眉e鈥� (1899) and 鈥淓l rompecabezas鈥� (1899) SHORT STORIES
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Topics taught in Lent 2025:
The Problem of Spain听
Carmen Laforet:听Nada听(1945) NOVEL
Jos茅 Antonio Nieves Conde: Surcos (1851) FILM
Carlos Saura:听La caza听(1966) FILM
Victor Erice: El espiritu de la colmena (1973) FILM
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Spain beyond Spain
Carmen de Burgos:听En la guerra听(1909) NOVELLA
Gertrudis G贸mez de Avellaneda,听Sab听(1841) NOVEL
Javier Fern谩ndez V谩zquez, Anunciaron tormenta (2020) FILM
Najat El Hachmi,听El lunes nos querr谩n听(1985) NOVEL
You are strongly encouraged to read as many texts as possible from the reading list over the summer vacation. At a minimum, however, please prepare Benito P茅rez Gald贸s's Tormento before arriving in Michaelmas Term. We also ask that you read Gertrudis G贸mez de Avellaneda's Sab prior to the start of Lent Term.
Teaching is provided through 16听lectures (4 hours on each topic) and four introductory seminars (1 for each topic). Students receive 8听fortnightly supervisions (plus revision support听in Easter term if offering the exam). You are expected to attend听all听classes听for the paper. In supervisions you should expect to look at听all听the听topics.
For full reading list, please see . The听enrolment听password can be collected from the paper coordinator.
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Assessment is by 5-hour examination in which candidates answer three questions, in each response making reference to at least two texts, films or artists. Examination Candidates must provide one answer based on one of the novels (Tormento, Sab, Nada, or El lunes nos querr谩n) taught in the paper.
This paper is also available for examination by Long Essay.
Dr Rebecca Fell (Paper coordinator) |
