Spanish
421/521 Studies in Spanish
Literature
El teatro hispánico
Dr. Denise DiPuccio
dipucciod@uncwil.edu
6-9 Wednesdays
office hours:
3-5 Wednesdays; by appointment
Lakeside Hall 138
office:
Lakeside 275
Prerequisites:
For SPN 421: SPN 321 or the
equivalent.
For SPN 521:
Status as graduate student
About this course:
This semester, we will read
and analyze 13 plays (6 one-act plays and 7 full-length plays) from Spain and
Spanish America. We will study the
plays in chronological order, beginning with a medieval Spanish piece and ending
with a contemporary Spanish American play. Detailed comprehension and discussion questions accompany
each play. You will, therefore,
begin to acquire the critical tools necessary to analyze a play.
Since you will be studying these plays in chronological order, you will
also gain an appreciation for the thematic, stylistic, and structural properties
that characterize plays from different literary periods.
Finally, in addition to reading, writing, and talking about these plays
in Spanish, you will participate in performance exercises related to theater in
general and to select scenes from plays studied throughout the semester.
The class will culminate in dramatic readings.
You will not have to memorize lines but you will need to know details
about your scenes. The dramatic
exercises will help you prepare for the final performance.
Please be assured that you
will not be graded on your talent. As
explained below in some detail, final grades will be based on careful reading of
the material, thoughtful contributions to class discussions, written
assignments, involvement in the dramatic exercises, and careful preparation of
the final performance. You will
obviously learn more about Spanish and the theatrical tradition in the Hispanic
world. By getting “into the
skin” of the characters, you’ll even learn some about the theater and
performance. Most importantly,
however, you will develop more confidence and poise when speaking and moving
before a group. Enhanced
communicative skills are a plus in any language!
Come to each class prepared by
reading the assigned play(s), answering the comprehension questions, and
thinking and/or writing about the Temas para discutir.
For example, for August 27, you are assigned to read three short pieces:
“El auto de los reyes magos,” “Caída de Tula,” and “Canto de
travesuras.” Read the plays
carefully. Answer the comprehension
questions. Since they can serve as
a study guide, it is a good idea to read the comprehension questions before you
read the play. Also, read through
the Temas para discutir.
(Graduate students will also be assigned some written work based on these
topics.) We will often use these
questions as a point of departure for our class discussions.
It should not come as a surprise if you are asked to contribute to the
discussion over any of these topics.
Course objectives:
This class has three interrelated objectives.
· Learn how to read, talk, and write about plays of the Hispanic world.
Texts:
All texts are on reserve
in the library. The
costs for this class would have been prohibitive if I had not
put the texts on reserve. Therefore,
you will be saving a great deal of money by not having to buy texts. Nevertheless, a team effort will be necessary in order to
ensure that everyone has access to the texts.
Work together on this. As
you will learn throughout the semester, theater is a collaborative effort.
Accessing the texts will be one of your first group project.
Four texts are reserved in book form (library copies of the
plays): El pintor de su deshonra, Don Juan Tenorio, Corona de sombra, & Las
meninas.
The
remaining plays have been xeroxed, put in folders, and placed on reserve in the
library: “El auto de los reyes magos,”
“Caída de Tula” & “Canto de travesuras,” “La tierra de
Jauja,” “El retablo de las maravillas,” Los empeños de una casa, Los figurones literarios, Como en Santiago,“Estudio en blanco y negro,” and “Adjetivos.”
Email communication:
Most handouts, announcements, and supplementary materials
will be distributed to you via email. You
may print them off or save them to your computer.
You must use your UNCW account and you must clean it daily so that
important materials are not bounced back to me with a statement saying your
mailbox is full.
Course plan:
August 20
Introducción
España
“El auto de los reyes magos,” anónimo
Nahua
“Caída de Tula” & “Canto de travesuras,” anónimos
September
3
El teatro renacentista
España
“La tierra de Jauja,” Lope de Rueda
España
“El retablo de las maravillas,” Miguel de Cervantes
September
10
El teatro
barroco
España El
pintor de su deshonra, Pedro Calderón de la Barca
September
17
El teatro barroco
México Los
empeños de una casa, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
October
1
El teatro neoclásico
España
Los figurones literarios,
María Rosa Gálvez de Cabrera
October
8
El teatro
romántico
España
Don Juan Tenorio, José Zorrilla
October
15
El teatro costumbrista
Chile Como
en Santiago, Daniel Barros Grez
October
22
El teatro del siglo XX
México Corona
de sombra, Rodolfo Usigli
Start reading Las meninas for next week. It’s the longest play we are going to study.
November
5
El teatro del siglo XX
España Las
meninas, Antonio Buero Vallejo
Cuba
“Estudio en blanco y negro,” Virgilio Piñera
Bolivia
“Adjetivos,” Maritza Wilde
November 26 Thanksgiving break
December 3 Last day of class
Lecturas dramáticas
You will notice that specific plays are not assigned for September 24, October 29, and November 19. We will use these days for various in-class activities. You should, however, take advantage of the fact that you will not have copious reading to do for these dates in order to begin work on long-term projects (the dramatic reading, the character analysis, and/or final paper).
For graduate students:
Each play is accompanied by a series of comprehension questions concerning the plot of the play. The answers may be hand written. At times, a few words suffice; at others, you will need to elaborate. Nevertheless, you need not write complete sentences. Answer these questions as if you were taking notes for yourself. Answers must be handed in at the beginning of the class period of the day on which we discuss that particular play. It is a good idea to read the comprehension questions before you read the play so that you have an idea of what to look for.
Choose any 3 topics from the “Temas para discutir” section of any play and write a brief analysis. Three pages, double spaced. Word processed, not hand written. You do not have to consult secondary sources for these short papers. These must be handed in at the beginning of the class period of the day on which we discuss that particular play. Nevertheless, even though these short analyses do not require outside research, they do require careful thought. Present your ideas in cogent, well organized paragraphs.
If you have written on one of the “Temas” for a particular play, be prepared to present your thoughts when we begin discussion of that particular topic.
Since you are choosing which plays you want to work with, not everyone will write on the same plays. By the end of the semester, you should have written a total of three short papers.
You will receive more details as the semester progresses but, in a nutshell, this is what will be happening on December 3. You and a partner will give a dramatic reading of a scene from a play. Props, costumes, minimal staging and/or audiovisual aids are highly recommended to enhance your performance. Do not, however, use these visual and auditory elements to take place of solid preparation of the written text. You do not have to memorize your lines but you must be extremely familiar with and comfortable with the text. You will have to practice often. The more you rehearse, the more polished your performance will be.
This exercise is designed to help you prepare for your dramatic readings. Questions about the character that you are playing will guide you as you begin to think about embodying that character for a few moments in front of the class.
The success of this class depends on you coming to class prepared. Read the plays carefully. A surface skimming of the text will not suffice. Not even one careful reading is enough. Read each play a few times so that you are familiar with it. Answer the comprehension questions. Think and write about the “Temas.” We cannot discuss the plays if everyone in the class has not prepared. If you are confused, come to class with detailed questions (not something like “What happened in this play?”).
Participation 10%
You must be willing to participate. I will not be grading anyone’s acting abilities. I do, however, expect everyone to join in the discussions and dramatic exercises with a cooperative and willing spirit. TALK. PLEASE. MOVE. PLEASE. For many of the dramatic exercises, we will be getting out of our seats and into the play.
10-12 pages, word processed in Spanish over some aspect of a play that we have discussed in class. Careful thought should go into these papers. It is highly recommended that you write on a play with which you have already worked throughout the semester. For example, the play from which your dramatic reading comes or a play that you have chosen for one of your three short papers. You must consult secondary sources for this paper and follow the MLA Style Sheet for documentation and bibliographical entries. Consult and list at least 5 hard copy secondary sources in your bibliography. URL’s and websites may be added in addition to the hard copy sources. Do not wait until the last minute to write this paper. You will have to go to the library and you will, most likely, use interlibrary loan. These processes take time. Papers are due in my office by noon on Monday, December 8.
For undergraduate students:
Each play is accompanied by a series of comprehension questions concerning the plot of the play. The answers may be hand written. At times, a few words suffice; at others, you will need to elaborate. Nevertheless, you need not write complete sentences. Answer these questions as if you were taking notes for yourself. Answers must be handed in at the beginning of the class period of the day on which we discuss that particular play. It is a good idea to read the comprehension questions before you read the play so that you have an idea of what to look for.
You will receive more details as the semester progresses but, in a nutshell, this is what will be happening on December 3. You and a partner will give a dramatic reading of a scene from a play. Props, costumes, minimal staging and/or audiovisual aids are highly recommended to enhance your performance. Do not, however, use these visual and auditory elements to take place of solid preparation of the written text. You do not have to memorize your lines but you must be extremely familiar with and comfortable with the text. You will have to practice often. The more you rehearse, the more polished your performance will be.
This exercise is designed to help you prepare for your dramatic readings. Questions about the character that you are playing will guide you as you begin to think about embodying that character for a few moments in front of the class.
A major portion of the success of this class depends on you coming to class prepared. Read the plays carefully. A surface skimming of the text will not suffice. Not even one careful reading is enough. Read each play a few times so that you are familiar with it. Answer the comprehension questions. Think and write about the “Temas.” We cannot discuss the plays if everyone in the class has not prepared. If you are confused, come to class with detailed questions (not something like “What happened in this play?”).
Participation 15%
You must be willing to participate. I will not be grading anyone’s acting abilities. I do, however, expect everyone to join in the discussions and dramatic exercises with a cooperative and willing spirit. TALK. PLEASE. MOVE. PLEASE. For many of the dramatic exercises, we will be getting out of our seats and into the play.
7-10 pages, word processed in Spanish over some aspect of a play that we have discussed in class. Careful thought should go into these papers. It is highly recommended that you write on a play with which you have already worked throughout the semester. For example, the play from which your dramatic reading comes or a play that you have chosen for one of your three short papers. You must consult secondary sources for this paper and should follow the MLA Style Sheet for documentation and bibliographical entries. Consult and list at least 5 hard copy secondary sources in your bibliography. URL’s and websites may be added in addition to the hard copy sources. Do not wait until the last minute to write this paper. You will have to go to the library and you will, most likely, have to use interlibrary loan. These processes take time. Papers are due in my office by noon on Monday, December 8.
Policy on late work:
No late work will be accepted. If you miss a class but have prepared the questions or a short paper, you must hand in that work before the beginning of the class. I will accept these assignments via email but they must be sent before class starts at 6:00.
Attendance:
Because a large portion of
class time will be devoted to discussion, students must attend class.
This is especially crucial since our class only meets once a week for
three hours. Missing one class,
therefore, is the equivalent of missing an entire week of a class that meets on
a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. Therefore,
you must make every effort to attend.
Each student is permitted
one absence (although no absences is the ideal).
More than one absence for whatever reason will result in the course grade
being lowered three notches (i.e.,
a B+ will become a C+); two
absences will lower the grade two notches (i.e., a B+ will become a D+);
three absences will result in automatic failure of the class.
Absences are a luxury that none of us can afford.
Honor Code:
Students are expected to abide by the stipulations of the UNCW Honor Code as outlined in the UNCW Code of Student Life. Please make sure that all work you turn in is your own and that you properly document all sources (hard copy as well as virtual) used in papers.
Grading scale:
A 93-100
B
83-86
C
73-76
D
63-66
A- 90-92
B-
80-82
C-
70-72
D-
60-62
B+ 87-89
C+
77-79
D+
67-69
F
59-below