Guide in PDF format
Logo

Spanish Literature

Code: 100023
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Humanities OB 2

Contact lecturer

Name :
Omar Sanz Burgos
Email :
omar.sanz@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

Students must be able to carry out a four-month course on the history of Spanish literature. To do this, they must have a command of oral and written Spanish equivalent to that obtained at the end of high school. Spelling, punctuation and writing errors will lead to deduction of points in the evaluation (see the Evaluation section). Exchange students will be required to have a C1 level of Spanish.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity (see the Evaluation section), the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.

Objectives

  1. Knowing the History of Spanish Literature

 

  1. Learning to analyze literary texts

 

  1. Knowing the different periods of the History of Spanish Literature

 

  1. Knowing different Spanish Literature authors and works

 

  1. Deepening the text commentary 

Learning outcomes

  1. Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
  2. Interpreting the regulatory information that is located in the web pages of regulatory institutions.
  3. Preparing a summary from a given text.
  4. Identifying and explaining the basic structures of literary works.
  5. Analysing literary texts using different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
  6. Describing the characteristics of a literary text and the characteristic methods of analysis of the discipline.
  7. Explaining the basic characteristics of literary texts.
  8. Identifying various literary elements and inserting them into different texts and discursive styles.
  9. Solving problems related to the study of different literatures.
  10. Solving tasks about authors, methods and currents of the comparative literature.

Contents


1. MIDDLE AGES: Introduction.


1.1. Lyric Poetry: Popular Lyric, Courtly Lyric.

1.2. Heroic Poetry: El Cantar de mio Cid.

1.3. The Romancero: Origin, Classification, Structure, and Meter.


2. GOLDEN AGE


2.1. RENAISSANCE: Introduction.


2.1.1. Garcilaso de la Vega: Petrarchism, Sonnet, Eclogue, Themes, Stoicism.

2.1.2. Fray Luis de León: Prose Works, Poetic Themes, Harmony and Concord (beatus ille). Fernando de Herrera.

2.1.3. San Juan de la Cruz: Mannerism, Major and Minor Poems, The Three Ways.


2.2. BAROQUE: Introduction.


2.2.1. Lope de Vega: Literature and Life, Works, Themes.

2.2.2. Góngora: Production Phases, Gongorism, Genres and Themes.

2.2.3. Quevedo: Prose Works, Verse Works, Neo-Stoicism, Las nueve musas, Conceptist Devices.


2.3. Chivalric Romances: Cervantes


2.3.1. Don Quixote: Mockery and Parody, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Narrative Techniques, Structure.


Required Reading: Novelas ejemplares, Miguel de Cervantes


2.4. Theater: Lope de Vega

2.4.1. Theatrical Genres and Spaces

2.4.2. Lope de Vega y el Arte nuevo de hacer comedias


Required reading: El caballero de Olmedo, Lope de Vega.


3. THE ENLIGHTENMENT


3.1. Introduction: origin and spread, rationalism, the Encyclopedia, the Spanish Enlightenment, enlightened despotism, the Royal Spanish Academy.

3.2. Spanish literature in the 18th century: defining characteristics and literary genres.

3.3. Benito J. Feijoo: life and work, Teatro crítico universal, Cartas eruditas y curiosas.

3.4. Melchor de Jovellanos: life and works.

3.5. José Cadalso: life and work, Eruditos a la violeta, Noches lúgubres, Cartas marruecas.


Required reading: Cartas marruecas, José Cadalso.


4. ROMANTICISM: Introduction.


4.1. Prose: costumbrismo and journalism. Mariano José de Larra: political, personal, and journalistic career.


Required reading: Artículos periodísiticos, Larra.


4.2. Romantic Poetry: Stages and Influences, Genres and Fragmentation. Bécquer: Rimas. Rosalía de Castro: Female Lyric Voice, Introspection, Social Criticism, and Marginalization. Espronceda: El estudiante de Salamanca and El diablo mundo.

4.3. Theater: Characteristics and Genres. José Zorrilla: Don Juan Tenorio.


5. REALISM AND NATURALISM


5.1. Realism: Characteristics and Stages, Sociological Aspects.

5.1.1. The Realist Novel: Characteristics, Narrative Techniques. Benito Pérez Galdós: Fortunata y Jacinta.

5.2. Naturalism: Characteristics, Spanish Naturalism.

5.2.1. Emilia Pardo Bazán: Los Pazos de Ulloa. Cuentos.

5.2.2. Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”: La Regenta. Cuentos.


Required reading: Cuentos, Emilia Pardo Bazán.


6. MODERNISM AND THE AVANT-GARDE


6.1. The fin de siècle crisis, Modernism, and the Generation of '98: literary periodization, Parnassianism and Symbolism, Hispanic Modernism, themes, the concept of the Generation of '98.

6.2. Ramón Gómez de la Serna and the avant-garde movements: the greguería, Ultraism, Creationism, and Surrealism.

6.3. The Generation of '27: group coherence and individual trajectories: Jorge Guillén, Pedro Salinas, Rafael Alberti, Gerardo Diego, Dámaso Alonso, Vicente Aleixandre, Luis Cernuda, Miguel Hernández. The Poetic Image in the Generation of '27


Optional reading: Anthology of Poetry from the Generation of '27

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Directed Classes 88 3.52 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Personal study and preparation of classes and works 35 1.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Supervised Tutorials 15 0.6 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
The learning of this subject is distributed as indicated below:
 
· Directed activities. These activities are divided into master classes and seminars led by the teacher, where the theoretical explanation will be combined with the discussion of the texts.
 
· Supervised activities. These are tutorials scheduled by the teacher, dedicated to correcting and commenting on problems at different levels of literary analysis.
 
· Autonomous activities. These activities include time dedicated to personal study, as well as the completion of analytical work and comments or preparation of oral presentations.
 
· Evaluation activities. The evaluation will be carried out through written tests.


Fifteen minutes of a class will be reserved, within the schedule established by the center/degree, for students to complete evaluation surveys regarding the teaching staff's performance and the subject assessment.
Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Second exam 35% 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
First exam 35% 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Critical comment 30% 10 0.4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

CONTINUOUS EVALUATION

The evaluation consists of three parts: a critical commentary of some of the readings worked in class (30% of the grade) and two written tests based on the topic taught during the course (35% + 35%). The revision of the tests will be done in an interview previously agreed with the teacher. On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Regarding written expression, the student must write paragraphs with full, coherent and well-developed content. Mistakes (spelling, syntax, punctuation errors, etc.) will deduct 0.25 points each; with more than ten faults the test will have the qualification of Suspense.

Students are obliged to attend the three parts in order to be eligible for re-evaluation (only the written tests).

Students can apply for re-evaluation if they have a minimum overall grade of 3.5.

The result of the re-evaluation test will substitute the note of the suspended test to calculate the final grade of the subject. The minimum admission grade required to be able to apply for re-evaluation must be equal to or greater than 5 points.

Students will obtain a «Not assessed/Not submitted» course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity (plagiarism, unauthorized use of AI), the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

Erasmus and exchange students who request to advance an exam must present a document from their home university justifying their request.


SINGLE EVALUATION

Students who wish to take part in the Single Avaluation must make this clear through a form through the following dates: first semester, from September 18 to October 6; second semester, from February 12 to February 23.

Regarding written expression, the student must write paragraphs with full, coherent and well-developed content. Mistakes (spelling, syntax, punctuation errors, etc.) will deduct 0.25 points each; with more than ten faults the test will have the qualification of Suspense.

The evaluation consists of three parts: a critical commentary of some of the readings worked in class (30% of the grade) and two written tests based on the topic taught during the course (35% + 35%). The revision of the tests will be done in an interview previously agreed with the teacher. On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.

Students are obliged to attend the three parts in order to be eligible for re-evaluation (only the written tests).

Students can apply for re-evaluation if they have a minimum overall grade of 3.5.

The result of the re-evaluation test will substitute the note of the suspended test to calculate the final grade of the subject. The minimum admission grade required to be able to apply for re-evaluation must be equal to or greater than 5 points.

Students will obtain a «Not assessed/Not submitted» course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity (plagiarism, unauthorized use of AI), the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.


This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.


Bibliography

García de la Concha, Víctor, dir., Historia de la literatura española, Espasa Calpe, Madrid, 1995-1998, 4 vols.


Mainer, José Carlos, dir., Historia de la literatura española, Crítica, Barcelona, 9 vols., especially:

Lacarra, María Jesús y Juan Manuel Cacho Blecua, Entre oralidad y escritura. Edad Media, Crítica, Barcelona, vol. 1, 2012.

García López, Jorge, Eugenia Fosalba y Gonzalo Pontón Gijón, La conquista del clasicismo. 1500-1598, Crítica, Barcelona, vol. 2, 2013.

Ruiz Pérez, Pedro, El siglo del arte nuevo. 1598-1691, Crítica, Barcelona, vol. 3, 2010.

Albiac Blanco, María-Dolores, Razón y sentimiento. 1692-1800, Crítica, Barcelona, vol. 4, 2015.

Alonso Alonso, Cecilio, Hacia una literatura nacional. 1808-1898, Crítica, Barcelona, vol. 5, 2015.


Rico, Francisco, dir., Historia y crítica de la literatura española, Crítica, Barcelona, 1979-2000, 9 vols. y suplementos.


Valverde, José María y Martín de Riquer, Historia de la literatura universal, Planeta, Barcelona, 2009, 2 vols.

Software

Moodle (Campus Virtual.)

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed