Topics in Latin American Literature and/or Iberian Literatures & Culture (480-0-1)
Instructors
Cesar A Braga-Pinto
Meeting Info
Kresge 3535 Span & Port Sem Rm: Thurs 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
In this course we will read 19th century, mostly canonical novels from Brazil, alongside short stories by the afro-descendent writer Machado de Assis (1839-1908), considered by many to be the most important author in the entire history of Brazilian literature. Each week we will read one novel and two or three of his short stories dealing with the same themes, such as: slavery, indigeneity, race and racial mixture, fugitivity, education and the bildungsroman, queer families, gender, sexuality, and adultery. The purpose of the course is threefold: first, to offer an in-depth survey of the foundational writings and authors of Brazilian literature; second, to understand, from a comparative approach, how these writers approached some of the most pressing issues of 19th-century; third, to imagine how Machado de Assis read and evaluated the novels produced at the time. Because we want to read as much fiction as we can, the class discussions will not require any secondary readings, although a list of relevant theory and criticism will be provided and may be utilized in the oral presentation, exam or research paper. All readings will be available in Portuguese and English translations, and almost all in Spanish translations, and almost all will be available on reserve in the Northwestern library.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Instead of meeting on January 4th, we will have our first class in November, during reading week.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the courses the students are expected to:
• Have an in-depth knowledge of Brazilian Literature of the 19th-century
• Understand the critical debates in Brazilian Studies that emerged from the reading of literary works
• Draw parallels with other literatures, particularly in Spanish
• Situate these readings in broad debates in cultural studies, gender studies, indigenous and black studies, etc.
Class Materials (Required)
Materials available in: P=Portuguese, S=Spanish, E=English
• Manoel Antônio de Almeida, Memórias de um Sargento de Milícias. (P S E )**There is also a bilingual edition E/P (library).
• Maria Firmina dos Reis, Úrsula, P S E and "A escrava" (P S E) Tagus Press (January 21, 2022) ISBN-10: 1951470095
• José de Alencar, Iracema P S (on reserve) E (preferred) [or E]
• Bernardo Guimarães, A escrava Isaura (P S E) Oxford U.P. ISBN: 9781930744400
• Raul Pompeia, O Ateneu. P S (SPAIN), S (MEX), S (ARG.) (also Canvas) E
• Adolfo Caminha, Bom Crioulo P S(Mex), S (SPAIN), S (MEX), E (Also Canvas)
• Júlia Lopes de Almeida, A falência. P E (free download), **not translated into Spanish
• Coelho Neto, Esfinge. P E, **not translated into Spanish.
• Machado de Assis, The collected short stories (ENG); the individual stories are available in several editions in PORT and SPAN (many are included in CUENTOS). I highly recommend Cuentos sobre la esclavitud, as we will read all four courses in this collection. Ebook for about US$ 2: https://www.casadellibro.com/ebook-cuentos-sobre-la-esclavitud-ebook/9786071672469/13797477
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Please contact the department of Spanish & Portuguese to request a permission number, spanish-portuguese@northwestern.edu.