Aims

To become familiar with some of the great authors of European literature, major reference points in the history of culture.
By the end of the course, the student should be able to situate the monuments of literature in a broader cultural perspective, as well as perceive the importance of the works from different perspectives (historical, ideological, thematic, aesthetic, generic, stylistically, etc.).

Main themes

We can study, for example: Homer and the Greek tragedians; Virgil and Cicero; the poems and heroic tales of the Middle Ages; Petrarch and the Sonnet tradition; Villon and lyricism in 15th Century Europe; Shakespeare and the Elizabethan theater; the Spanish theater of the Golden Age; the Enlightenment and its origins in France; European Romanticism in Germany; Proust and Joyce.
This study will highlight the aspects that give importance to these authors and these moments in the building of the European literary heritage.
Students will have access to extracts of the texts studied: on top of the lectures, a folder of readings will be provided.

Content and teaching methods

Some of the major moments or authors which have constituted the references and the resources of European literary culture since its origins are presented; for instance, the Bible, Homer, Virgil, the Icelandic sagas, the Italian Renaissance, Cervantes, Shakespeare, French classical drama, the Encyclopaedia, Pushkin, Goethe, Dickens, Dostoyevski and Proust.

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Assessment:
A mid-term test will be given, with remedial work in small groups if the appropriate teaching staff is provided. For the final exam, students should be able to situate an author and to show how he/she is important in the constitution of European literature.

Course material:
reading folder

Course holder:
This lecture course may be given by a team of lecturers.

Other credits in programs