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2020/2021

Ausiàs March and European Poetry

Code: 105844 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OB 3 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Lluís Cabré Ollé
Email:
Lluis.Cabre@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

None

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course provides an overview of Catalan poetry from the last quarter of the fourteenth century to the mid fifteenth, with emphasis on concurrent European trends (in French, Italian and Spanish), as well a close reading of (a selection of) Ausiàs March's works. Analysis of the manuscript chansonniers and observation of critical editions are also important issues.

At the end of the course, students are expected (a) to have a general knowledge of all major developments related to medieval Catalan poetry, and (b) to have acquired a close acquaintance with the many facets of March's oeuvre, so that (c) they are able to comment on any of the thirty-odd poems included in the selection, showing literary acumen and a reasonably good command of medieval Catalan.

Competences

  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights, diversity and democratic values.
  • Apply concepts, resources and methods of literary analysis to Catalan literature taking into account the sources, periods of Western literary history and social context.
  • Carry out historical studies on the trends, genres and authors of the Catalan literary tradition.
  • Critically read and interpret texts.
  • Demonstrate a mastery of the rules of the Catalan language, its linguistic bases and all its application in the academic and professional fields.
  • Display teamwork skills.
  • Identify the main tendencies, most significant authors and most representative work in Catalan literature.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Interpret literary texts from a philological and comparative viewpoint.
  • Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Use information in accordance with academic ethics.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Comment on literary texts, using the instruments acquired, with regard to the historical, social and cultural context.
  2. Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas within literature and their relationship to humanistic, artistic and social areas.
  3. Describe and interpret the Western cultural tradition, from the classical period to the late Middle Ages, and recognise features of the Western tradition in a medieval text.
  4. Display basic knowledge of medieval Catalan and write versions of medieval texts in modern Catalan.
  5. Explain the context of medieval Catalan literature and relate works to their historical and cultural context.
  6. Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
  7. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  8. Identify the relationships between literature and history, art and other cultural movements.
  9. Identify themes and motifs of the classical and medieval European tradition in any of its literary and artistic manifestations.
  10. Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
  11. Master oral and written expression in Catalan.
  12. Plan, organise and carry out work in a team.
  13. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  14. Produce work in accordance with academic ethics.
  15. Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  16. Recognise themes and motifs of the European tradition in a medieval Catalan text.
  17. Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
  18. Use IT tools and be able to consult specific documentary sources.
  19. Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
  20. Write original essays, showing mastery of the relevant literature, on medieval authors and works.
  21. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

  1. Introduction. The Troubadour tradition: courtly poetry from Peter the Great to Peter III (1276-1387). The troubadour revival at Toulouse, and the codification of verse writing. Chansonniers. Verse patterns and language.

  2. Poetry at the courts of John I, Martin I and his son Martin the Younger (1387-1410). French and Italian influence: Guillaume de Machaut and Dante. Gilabert de Próixita, Andreu Febrer, Melcior de Gualbes. Genres: ballad, lay and estramps.

  3. Poetry at the court of the young Alfonso IV. Jordi de Sant Jordi (d. 1424). The courtly reading of Petrarch.

  4. Ausiàs March (1400-59). Chronology of his works. Literary backdrop. Cycles (Llir entre cards, Plena de seny, Mon darrer bé, Death poems). Other love poems. Spiritual and moral poetry.

    5. The posterity of March. 15th-century followers. Ausiàs March in print (1539-1633). Renaissance imitatio in Catalan and Spanish.

Methodology

Lectures will provide students with the historical context of the best medieval Catalan poets. This course, however, is based on reading practice at the classroom (online if necessary). Such practice will focus on (a) translating the texts into modern Catalan, (b) commenting on their sources, and (c) discussing their interpretation from the viewpoint of comparative literature.

The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Virtual Campus: the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject. In case of a change of teaching modality for health reasons, teachers will make readjustments in the schedule and methodologies.

 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 30 1.2 10, 18, 3, 5, 8, 9, 2, 6, 16
Seminars 17.5 0.7 1, 4, 3, 5, 7, 8, 2, 17, 6, 16, 21
Type: Supervised      
Oral presentations (flipped class) 9 0.36 18, 1, 11, 14, 15, 7, 17, 12, 13, 19
Type: Autonomous      
Bibliographical research 10 0.4 10, 18, 14, 20, 19
Critical reading 30 1.2 1, 4, 8, 9, 2, 6, 16

Assessment

Assessment is continuous. A minimum grade of 5 is required to pass the course.

Students will be assessed by means of (a) written exams, (b) individual essays, and (c) oral presentations (in the classroom or via Teams etc.). The final qualification will result from the following proportion: (a) 50%, (b) 40%, (c) 10%. Oral presentations include team work.

For any assessment activity, students will receive (via Moodle) prior notice of the date and all relevant information concerning their right to review any assessment item with their teacher.

To opt for reassessment students must have been assessed of at least 2/3 of the overall input, and must have obtained a final mark between 3.5 and 4.9. Reassessment may include a written exam and/or submitting again an essay which had not reached the pass mark (5). The reassessment grade will not be higher than 5.

Students who have submitted less than 30% of the course assignments will be considered Not Assessable.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikisand/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Essay writing 40% 24 0.96 10, 18, 1, 4, 3, 11, 14, 5, 15, 7, 8, 9, 2, 17, 6, 13, 16, 20, 21, 19
Exams (preparation and writing) 50% 28.5 1.14 10, 18, 1, 4, 3, 11, 14, 5, 7, 8, 9, 2, 17, 6, 13, 16, 21, 19
Oral presentations 10% 1 0.04 10, 18, 1, 4, 3, 11, 14, 5, 15, 7, 8, 9, 2, 17, 12, 6, 13, 16, 21, 19

Bibliography

Badia, Lola (dir.), Literatura medieval, 3 vols. in A. Broch, Història de la literatura catalana, II (Barcelona: Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2014).

Riquer, Martí de, Història de la literatura catalana: part antiga, 3 vols. (Barcelona: Ariel, 1964); 4 vols. (Barcelona: Planeta, 1984).

Badia, Lola, Tradició i modernitat als segles XIV i XV: estudis de cultura literària i lectures d'Ausiàs March (Barcelona: Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, 1993).

Andreu Febrer, Poesies, ed. M. de Riquer (Barcelona: Barcino: 1951).

Riquer, Martí de, & Lola Badia (eds.), Les poesies de Jordi de Sant Jordi(València: Tres i Quatre, 1984).

March, Ausiàs, Poesies, ed. Pere Bohigas (Barcelona: Barcino, 2000).


Links
Repertorio informatizzato dell'Antica Letteratura Catalana (RIALC): www.rialc.unina.it
www.narpan.net.