Tradition and Modernity in the Spanish Avant-Garde: the Generation of 27

This course aims to examine the Generation of ‘27 and Avant Garde culture in Spain during the interwar period of 1919 to 1939. Major figures to be considered include García Lorca, Salinas, Aleixandre, Guillén, Alberti, Cernuda, Gerardo Diego; artist Salvador Dalí and filmmaker Luis Buñuel. We will pursue an interdisciplinary study of this moment of cultural ferment, by looking at photography, film, music, popular literature, and academic magazines, as well as some of the more familiar literary texts of the Spanish canon. Emphasis will be placed on developing close reading skills, an awareness of key aspects of modern European thought, and the relationship between aesthetics and ideology. As part of the historical background, we will also explore the importance of the Residencia de Estudiantes, a residence in Madrid that became the meeting point of all the artistic vanguard of Spain and Europe. (1 unit)

Required texts: Federico García Lorca, Bodas de sangre (Madrid, Cátedra) (ISBN 978-84-376-0569-9); Yerma (Madrid, Cátedra) (ISBN 978-84-376-0072-7); La casa de Bernarda Alba (Madrid, Cátedra) (ISBN: 978-84-376-2245-3); Poeta en Nueva York, (Madrid, Catedra) (ISBN 9788437607252;) Poema del cante jondo/Romancero gitano (Madrid, Catedra) (ISBN 9788437601144); Antologia de la Generacion del 27(Madrid, Anaya) (ISBN 9788420727974).