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Literature and Journalism: from Josep Pla to Montserrat Roig

Code: 106732
Credits: 6

2026/2027

Degree programme	Type	Course
Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics	OP	4
English and Catalan Studies	OP	3
English and Catalan Studies	OP	4
Catalan and Spanish Studies	OP	3

Contact lecturer

Name :: Ramon Panyella Ferreres
Email :: ramon.panyella@uab.cat

Group languages

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

Prerequisites

None

Objectives

The subject proposes the study of Catalan literary journalism during the 20th century, focusing on two main moments: 1) the interwar period (1920s-1930s) and 2) the end of the Dictatorship, transition and early years of the democratic period (1960s/70s/80s).

Specifically, it is about:

a) To know the variety of genres of modern journalistic prose in Catalan language (column, chronicle, report, interview, portrait ...), with special attention to the genre of the literary article and its various modalities and approaches.

b) Getting to know and studying a selection of the main Catalan journalists and writers of the 20th century who collaborated in the written press on a regular basis and with public projection, cultivating some of these genres of journalistic prose.

Learning outcomes

Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.
Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
Comment on literary texts, using the instruments acquired, with regard to the historical, social and cultural context.
Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas within literature and their relationship to humanistic, artistic and social areas.
Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
Work self-sufficiently on the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
Use IT tools and be able to consult specific documentary sources.
Produce advanced-level critical texts on the most significant trends, authors and works in Catalan literature.
Write complex original essays, showing mastery of the relevant literature, on contemporary authors and works.
Interpret Western cultural tradition from the 19th century to the present day, pinpointing features of the Western tradition in a contemporary text.
Describe the historical context of contemporary Catalan literature and relate works to their historical and cultural context.
Write historical interpretative essays, at an advanced level, on the contemporary literary tradition.
Present and explain overall perspectives on phenomena of contemporary Catalan literature.
Analyse literary texts from philological and comparative standpoints, and identify literary language models in contemporary Catalan texts.
Present knowledge of history, art or other cultural movements.
Produce work in accordance with academic ethics.
Develop effective written work and oral presentations and adapted to the appropriate register.
Strengthen the capacity of reading, interpretation and critical analysis of literary texts and language.
Produce written and oral texts with correction rules.
Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
Identify relationships between literature and history, art and other cultural movements.
Comment on literary texts, apply the acquired tools and take into account the historical and sociocultural context.
Critically interpret literary works take into account the relationships between different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
Apply the tools and know consult the specific documentary sources.
Master oral and written expression in Catalan.
Expose knowledge about the history, art and other cultural movements.
Critically interpret bibliography.
Relate an author to his or her period and its literary features.
Contrast texts by different authors and from different periods.
Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
Work independently in the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
Identifying the relationships of literature with history, art or other cultural movements.
Identifying the key elements of the Western culture from the 19th century to the present.
Commenting on literary texts, applying the acquired tools and taking into account the historical and sociocultural context.
Critically interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
Apply the tools and know consult the documentary sources.
Demonstrate a solid knowledge of subjects related to the study of Literature and Culture in general.
Organise the autonomous component to the learning process in an effective manner.
Rigorously assess the values conveyed by the texts analysed, making constructive criticism.
Rigorously approach the values conveyed by the texts analysed, carrying out constructive criticism.

A. THEORETICAL TOPICS

1. The relationship between literature and journalism. Literary prose, journalistic prose and non-fiction prose: limits, spaces of confluence. Journalists and writers.

2. Journalistic genres: columnism, article writing, chronicle, reporting, portrait, criticism. others

3. Historical panorama of modern Catalan literary journalism (20th century). Beginning and evolution. Main authors and headers (newspapers, magazines, weeklies).

B. AUTHORS. READING AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

4. 1920s/1930s: Josep Pla, Josep M. de Sagarra, Carles Soldevila, Eugeni Xammar, Just Cabot, Irene Polo, Josep M. Planes, Rosa M. Arquimbau. Others: Domènec de Bellmunt, Sebastià Gasch, Andreu Avel·lí Artís, Aurora Bertrana...

5. Civil War, Post-war and early years of the democratic era: Joan Oliver, Pere Calders, Montserrat Roig, Josep M. Espinàs. Others: Maria Aurèlia Capmany, Teresa Pàmies, Baltasar Porcel, Isabel-Clara Simó, Quim Monzó...

Learning activities and methodology

Title	Hours	ECTS
Presentation (oral or written) on a theoretical or critical tex	15	0.6
Analysis and discussion of journalistic, theoretical and critical texts	20	0.8
Presentation, by the teacher, of the points of the program. Contextualization of readings	31	1.24
Written commentary on periodistic, theoretical and critical texts, with the teacher's guidance	25	1
Bibliographic search. Documentary sources and resources	30	1.2
Guided reading of texts	20	0.8

The subject is divided into theoretical sessions and reading seminars. The theoretical sessions have a panoramic and contextualizing character and are accompanied by commentary on theoretical and critical texts. The sessions dedicated to reading focus on the analysis of compulsory reading works and other complementary documents.

The detailed calendar with the content of the different sessions will be posted on the Virtual Campus (CV) at the beginning of the course. In the CV, students will also be able to find the corpus of mandatory reading texts by each of the authors that will be worked on; the instructions for the exercises and practices and any other teaching material and information necessary for the proper follow-up of the subject.

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
written tests	50%	4	0.16	4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 29, 32, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44
Oral presentations	15%	2	0.08	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 36, 38
Exercises and essays	35%	3	0.12	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

The competences of this subject will be evaluated by means of an examination and of individual or collaborative works. The evaluation system is organized in 3 types of activities or modules, each of which will have a specific weight assigned in the final grade:

Module of oral presentations, with a global weight of 15% (each student will have to analyze a journalistic, theoretical or critical text)

Module of written tests, with a global weight of 50% (a final exam on the subject)

Work delivery module, which will evaluate an essay with a global weight of 35%

The dates of the different assessment activities will be communicated to the students on the first day of class.

Exchange students who request to take an exam early must provide the lecturer with a written document from their home university justifying their request.

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.

The recovery system provides that different tests can be performed according to the student's learning needs, with the aim of recovering at least 50% of the activities carried out.To participate in the recovery the students must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities whose weight equals to a minimum of two thirds of the total grade of the subject, and must have achieved overall a rating between 3.5 and 4.9.

A 5 is needed for the final pass. The student will receive the grade of \"Not assessable\" as long as he/she has not delivered more than 30% of the assessment activities.

In the event that the student conducts any irregularity that can lead to a significant variation of the qualification of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be qualified with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed. In caseThat there are several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0. Likewise, in this subject the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not allowed in any of its phases. Any work that includes fragments generated with AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and will be graded with a 0.

Single assessment

It will consist of three activities:

Work: critical anthology of texts by an autor of the course topics (35%)

Oral commentary on a literary article (15%)

Written test about the course topics (50%)

The date of the single assessment will be communicated to students at the start of the course.

The conditions for approving the subject and those for the reassessment of single assessment students are the same as those indicated for continuous assessment students.

Bibliography

Throughout the course, a more complete bibliography will be provided through the virtual campus, especially about the authors and publications of the subject.

ACOSTA MONTORO, José (1973). Periodismo y literatura (2 vols.). Madrid: Guadarrama.

ALTÉS, Elvira (2007). Les Periodistes del temps de la República. Barcelona: Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya-Diputació de Barcelona.

ANGULO EGEA, Maria (coord.) (2010). Periodismo literario. Madrid: Editorial Fragua.

BLOM, Philipp (2016). La fractura: Vida y cultura en Occidente, 1918-1938. Barcelona: Anagrama.

CANOSA, Francesc & YESTE, Elena (eds.) (2028). Dones que surten del paper. Periodistes catalanes que expliquen un país. Juneda: Editorial Fonoll.

CANOSA, Francesc & VILA, Enric (coord.) (2007). “Els clàssics del periodisme català: de la Renaixença a la Guerra Civil”, Tripodos, núm. 20.

CASASÚS, Josep M. (1992). «El periodisme literari del segle XIX», Anuari Verdaguer 1991, ps. 9-18. https://raco.cat/index.php/AnuariVerdaguer/article/view/67601/86044

CASASÚS, Josep M . (1987). El pensament periodístic a Catalunya. Barcelona:Curial.

CASASÚS, Josep M . (1998). El periodisme a Catalunya. Barcelona: Plaza & Janés.

CASASÚS, Josep M . (1996): Periodisme català que ha fet historia. Barcelona:Proa.

CHILLÓN, Lluís-Albert (1993). Literatura i periodisme. Universitat de València.

CHILLÓN, Lluís-Albert (1990). El reportatge novel·lat (tesi doctoral). Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

ESPINET, Francesc i altres (1989). Premsa, comunicació i cultura a Catalunya durant el primer terç del segle XX. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

GIMFERRER, Pere (1996). Literatura catalana i periodismo Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya.

GÓMEZ MOMPART, Josep Lluís (1992). La gènesi de la premsa de masses a Catalunya (1902-1923), Barcelona: Pòrtic.

GUILLAMET, Jaume (2003). Història del periodisme. Notícies, periodistes i mitjans de comunicación. Barcelona: Aldea Global.

LEÓN GROSS, Teodoro (1996). El artículo de opinión. Barcelona: Ariel.

MANENT, Albert. “Assaig, periodisme i memòries (1918-1938). Dins: MOLAS, Joaquim i altres (dirs.) (1987). Història de la literatura catalana. Part moderna. Vol. 10, ps. 191-211. Barcelona: Ariel.

MARÍN, Enric (1989). La premsa de Barcelona durant la Segona República, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

MONTERO, Francesc & PLA, Xavier (eds.) (2014). Cosas vistas, Cosas leídas (La edad de oro del periodismo literario en Cataluña, España y Europa). Edition Reichenberger (Problemata Literari, 76).

PRIETO I BERBEGAL, Albert (2012). «Els periodistes dels anys trenta o el periodisme català de qualitat», Butlletí de la Societat Catalana d’Estudis Històrics, n. XXIII (2012), p. 417-424. https://raco.cat/index.php/ButlletiSCEH/article/view/77098/438878

REAL, Neus (2006). Dona i literatura a la Catalunya de preguerra. Barcelona. PAM.

------ (2021). “La prosa de no-ficció”. Dins: CASTELLANOS, Jordi & MARRUGAT, Jordi (coord.) (2021). Història de la literatura Catalana (Vol. 7). Literatura Contemporània (III).Del 1922 al 1959, ps. 263-294.

SINGLA CASELLAS, Carles (2006). Mirador (1929-1937). Un model de periòdic al servei d'una idea de país. Barcelona: Institut d'Estudis Catalans.

TORRENT, Joan i TASIS, Rafael (1966). Història de la premsa catalana. Barcelona: Bruguera.

------- (1961). Un segle de vida catalana. Vol. I: ps. 156-160, 435-441 i vol. II: ps. 732-741, 1194-1214. Barcelona: Alcides.

UZCANGA MEINECKE, Francisco (ed.) (2016). La eternidad de un día. Clásicos del periodismo literario alemán (1823-1934). Barcelona: Acantilado.

https://arca.bnc.cat/arcabib_pro/ca/inicio/inicio.do (Archive of old catalan magazines)

https://crai.ub.edu/ca/coneix-el-crai/biblioteques/biblioteca-pavello-republica/republica/publicacions_periodiques#N

https://www.girona.cat/sgdap/cat/premsa.php

Software