The Fictionof History: Borges and Spain
F06
Sonia Perez Villenueva, Jonathan Pitcher
Cervantes portrayed Don Alonso Quijano as a fragile man and the archetypal antihero from the novels of chivalry. Don Quijano thought he was Don Quixote. The world thought he was insane. For Jorge Luis Borges and his palimpsests, both Don Quixote and the quotidian world of 17th-century Spain, along with the latter’s definitions of reason, were equally mythic. This course will explore the re-inscription of meaning across time and space, through the mingling of history and fiction, with analytical and comparative readings of Cervantes, Quevedo, Góngora, and Borges, among others. Students will refine their pronunciation and intonation through discussions in class. Writing skills and vocabulary will be developed through weekly critical essays. Students will develop their independent thinking through research for a final project. Conducted in Spanish.