SPANISH 340 - Cervantes' Don Quijote

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

This course examines the role of difference in Miguel de Cervantes' masterpiece, El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha. In this "first modern novel," conflict erupts when an old man, moved by his readings of chivalric literature, pronounces himself a knight in shining armor. Believing in evil enchanters, Don Quijote and his rotund alter ego, Sancho Panza, set out to rectify the wrongs of the world. However, Don Quijote takes up this mission in 16th-century Spain, when knighthood has long ceased to be a social reality. Difference and conformity thus become critical issues at every turn of this novel. What are the ideological forces that compel conformity in Don Quijote? How are language and violence posited as instruments of change? How does literature change its readers and, alternatively, how do readers change literature? Apart from Don Quijote, readings include Lazarillo de Tormes, Amadis of Gaul, and El abencerraje, among others. Students may read the texts in English or in the original Spanish. The course is conducted in English.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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