Literary Thought
Code: 100262 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics | OT | 4 |
| 2504211 Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 3 |
| 2504211 Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 4 |
| 2504212 English Studies | OT | 3 |
| 2504212 English Studies | OT | 4 |
| 2504235 Science, Technology and Humanities | OT | 4 |
| 2504380 English and Catalan Studies | OT | 3 |
| 2504380 English and Catalan Studies | OT | 4 |
| 2504386 English and Spanish Studies | OT | 3 |
| 2504386 English and Spanish Studies | OT | 4 |
| 2504393 English and French Studies | OT | 0 |
| 2504393 English and French Studies | OT | 3 |
| 2504393 English and French Studies | OT | 4 |
| 2504394 English and Classics Studies | OT | 3 |
| 2504394 English and Classics Studies | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Gonzalo Ponton Gijon
- Email:
- gonzalo.ponton@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
By obtaining the minimum of credits in basic training subjects, students have demonstrated to have acquired the basic competences and they will be able to express themselves orally and in writing. For this reason, any spelling and expression errors that may be committed will lead to a score decrease in the final grade.
Activities, practical sessions and papers submitted in the course must be original and under no circumstances will the total or partial plagiarism of third-party materials published on any medium be admitted. Any submission of non-original material without properly indicating its origin will automatically result in a failure rating (0).
It is also expected that students know the general rules of submission of an academic work. However, students could apply the specific rules that the teacher of the subject may indicate to them, if they deem it necessary.
It would be highly desirable -albeit in no way demanding- that the students had a clear interest in theoretical and literary texts prior to 1900.
Objectives and Contextualisation
OBJECTIVES AND CONTEXTUALIZATION
The course is a historical and thematic overview through the main ideas that have shaped the western way of thinking, defining, explaining and evaluating literature from classical Greece to positivism and impressionistic criticism of the second half of the nineteenth century.
The subject combines the presentation of theoretical contents (about historical periods, authors and concepts) with the reading and commentary of the main texts of ancient, medieval and modern literary thought.
Competences
- Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics
- Critically read and interpret texts.
- Interpret literary texts from a philological and comparative viewpoint.
- Interpret the thematic and symbolic content of narrative, poetic and theatrical texts in accordance with the main analytical methodologies and according to their textual and pragmatic strategies.
- 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.
- Spanish Language and Literature
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Develop arguments applicable to the fields of Hispanic literature, literary theory, Spanish language and linguistics, and evaluate their academic relevance.
- 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 develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use the methodology and concepts of literary analysis taking into account sources and contexts.
- English Studies
- Develop arguments applicable to the fields of literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
- Identify and analyse the main currents, genres, works and authors in English and comparative literature.
- Produce effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in distinct languages (except English).
- 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 develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Science, Technology and Humanities
- Describe the interactions between art, literature and science as drivers of complex creative processes and in the dissemination of knowledge.
- Produce written papers and give effective oral presentations, adopting the appropriate register in different languages.
- 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 develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- English and Catalan Studies
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Identify and interpret literary texts in different languages, analysing the generic, formal, thematic and cultural characteristics in accordance with the concepts and methods of comparative literature and literary theory.
- 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 in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- English and Spanish Studies
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
- 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 in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- English and French Studies
- Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Identify and interpret literary texts of different languages (English and French), analysing generic, formal, thematic and cultural features according to concepts and methods proper to comparative literature and literary theory.
- Students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (normally within their study area) to issue judgments that include reflection on important issues of social, scientific or ethical.
- 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 in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
- English and Classics Studies
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- Identify and interpret literary texts of different languages, analysing the generic, formal, thematic and cultural features according to concepts and methods of comparative literature and literary theory.
- Produce effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in distinct languages.
- 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 in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
- Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse literary texts using the different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
- Analyse the formal, thematic, cultural and historical characteristics of works of literary creation and reflection on the literature of different languages and countries.
- Analysing literary texts using different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
- Argue a case regarding several literary topics and problems arising from different works and evaluate the results.
- Argue a case regarding several literary topics and problems arising from different works, and evaluate the results.
- Arguing about several issues and literary problems for the purpose of different works and the assessment of the results.
- Autonomously search, select and process information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
- Autonomously searching, selecting and processing information both from structured sources (databases, bibliographies, specialized magazines) and from across the network.
- Carry out tasks on authors, methods and trends in comparative literature, relating knowledge of other disciplines in the humanities.
- Commenting on literary texts, applying the acquired tools and taking into account the historical and sociocultural context.
- Critically interpret literary works taking into account the relationships between the different fields of literature and their relationship with human, artistic and social areas.
- Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas within literature and their relationship to humanistic, artistic and social areas.
- Critically interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the basic theoretical foundations of the main methods and trends in literature and criticism.
- Describing the characteristics of a literary text and the characteristic methods of analysis of the discipline.
- Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific texts.
- Explain the basic characteristics of the compared literary texts.
- Explaining the basic characteristics of comparative literary texts.
- Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts.
- Identify and explain the basic characteristics of literary texts and the interpretation process.
- Identify and explain the basic characteristics of literary texts and the process of interpretation.
- Identify and explain the basic structures of literary works.
- Identify and explaining the basic foundations of the process of literary communication in every genre and the interpretation process from questions and theoretical and/or practical activities.
- Identify the ancient Greco-Latin sources that have inspired artists and literati of the Western cultural tradition.
- Identifying and explaining the basic characteristics of literary texts and the interpretation process.
- Match literary texts to their corresponding formal and cultural contexts.
- Match literary texts to their corresponding genres.
- Present work in formats suited to personal demands and styles, both individually and in small groups.
- Present written work or oral presentations on the main concepts of literary theory.
- Resolve tasks on authors, methods and trends in comparative literature by drawing on knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
- Set a plan for working on an assignment on the subject area.
- Solve problems related to methods of study of different literatures.
- Solve problems related to the historical placement of literary texts.
- Solve problems related to the study of different literatures.
- Solve problems related to the theoretical foundations and major concepts in the study of literary criticism.
- Solve problems related to the theoretical foundations and the main concepts in the study of literary criticism.
- Solving problems about authors and currents of comparative literature, connecting them with knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
- Solving problems about writers, methods and currents of comparative literature, and connecting them with knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
- Solving problems autonomously.
- Solving problems related to the study of different literatures.
- Submit assignments in formats tailored to requirements and personal styles, whether carried out individually or in a small group.
- Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
- Summarise the knowledge acquired about the origin of the various fields within the discipline and the transformations they have undergone.
- Use digital tools to obtain, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of literary theory.
- Use the skills acquired with autonomy.
- Use traditional sources to collect, classify, interpret and analyse relevant data related to the study of literary theory.
- Using suitable terminology when drawing up an academic text.
- Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.
Content
CONTENTS
Preliminary: thinking literature throughout history: patterns and questions
1. Mímesis: poetics of classical antiquity
2. Hermeneutics: classical and medieval theories of interpretation
3. Ancient and modern: classicist poetics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
4. Taste: artistic judgment, the sublime and the emancipation of art in the eighteenth century
5. Expression: the concept of genius, romantic poetics and modern subjectivity.
6. Context: positivist scientificism and impressionist reaction
Epilog: the invention of literature and its demolition
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Lecture sessions, seminar and/or practical sessions | 52.5 | 2.1 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials & e-mail consultations | 15 | 0.6 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Individual work (reading, studying, writing course's papers) | 82.5 | 3.3 |
The course follows the pattern of continued learning, with seminary-type classes.
The primary texts are submitted to discussion in class, and they will be interrogated based on the general historical and critical contents. Students must commit to read and reflect on the texts prior to the discussions in class, which will be led by the professor.
This form of learning is evaluated through two exams in the classroom and one written essay.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam in the classroom 1 | 35% | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 2, 6, 4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 26, 27, 31, 17, 18, 19, 16, 44, 46, 23, 20, 25, 21, 24, 13, 12, 11, 41, 42, 28, 29, 48, 36, 35, 32, 40, 34, 33, 9, 30, 38, 43, 45 |
| Exam in the classroom 2 | 35% | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 2, 6, 4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 26, 27, 31, 17, 18, 19, 16, 44, 46, 23, 20, 25, 21, 24, 13, 12, 11, 41, 42, 28, 29, 48, 36, 35, 32, 40, 34, 33, 9, 30, 38, 43, 45 |
| Paper 1 | 30% | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 2, 6, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 15, 26, 27, 31, 17, 18, 19, 16, 47, 44, 46, 23, 20, 25, 21, 22, 24, 13, 12, 11, 41, 42, 28, 29, 48, 39, 36, 35, 32, 40, 34, 33, 9, 30, 37, 38, 43, 45 |
Students must attend 2 written exams, each of them devoted to a half of the syllabus (weight: 35% each exam), and deliver 1 medium-length written essay (between 3.000 and 4.000 words) on one of the authors, texts or problemes the syllabus contains (weight: 30%).
On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
To have the right to access to reevaluation, the student needs to obtain in the activities at least a global qualfication of 4. The student can only reevaluate 2 of these 3 activities (both exams or 1 exam and the essay).
In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, she/he 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.
SINGLE EVALUATION
- Written exam in the classroom 1 (first half of the syllabus): 35%
- Written exam in the classroom 2 (second half of the syllabus): 35%
- Paper 1 (middle-length essay): 30%
All three activities will be delivered in a single day, which will be made public during the first week of the semester.
The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used.
Bibliography
Abrams, Meyer Howard (1953), El espejo y la lámpara. Teoría romántica y tradición crítica, Barral Editores, Barcelona, 1975.
Asensi, Manuel, Historia de la teoría de la literatura (desde los inicios hasta el siglo XIX), Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia, 1998.
Blamires, Harry, A History of Literary Criticism, MacMillan, Londres, 1991.
Bobes, Carmen, et al., Historia de la teoría literaria. I: La antigüedad grecolatina, Gredos, Madrid, 1995.
---, et al., Historia de la teoría literaria. II: Transmisores. Edad Media. Poéticas clasicistas, Gredos, Madrid, 1998.
Bozal, Valeriano, Historia de las ideas estéticas y de las teorías artísticas contemporáneas, Visor, Madrid, 2000, 2 vols.
Burguera, María Luisa, Textos clásicos de teoría de la literatura, Cátedra, Madrid, 2004.
Compagnon, Antoine, El demonio de la teoría. Literatura y sentido común, Acantilado, Barcelona, 2015.
Eagleton, Terry., La función de la crítica, Paidós, Barcelona, 1999.
Habib, M.A.R., A History of Literary Criticism. From Plato to the Present, Blackwell, Oxford, 2007.
Marino, Adrian., The Biography of the 'Idea of Literature'. From Antiquity to the Baroque, State University of New York Press, Nueva York, 1996.
Nisbet, Barry, y Claude Rawson (eds.), The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1989-, 9 vols.
Pozuelo Yvancos José María (dir.), Las ideas literarias (1214-2010), vol. 8 de José Carlos Mainer (dir.), Historia de la literatura española, Crítica,Barcelona, 2011.
Pulido Tirado, Genara, El pensamiento literario: introducción teórica e histórica, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, 1995.
Richter, David H. (ed.), The Critical Tradition. Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, Bedford Books, Boston, 1998.
Rivas Hernández, Ascensión, De la poética a la teoría de la literatura (una introducción), Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca, 2005.
Todorov, Tzvetan, La literatura en peligro, Galaxia Gutenberg, Barcelona, 2009.
Viñas, David, Historia de la crítica literaria, Ariel, Barcelona, 2002.
Wahnón Bensusan, Susana, Introducción a la historia de la teorías literarias, Universidad de Granada, Granada, 1991.
Wellek, René, (1955-1986), Historia de la crítica moderna (1750-1950), Gredos, Madrid, 1959-1988, 6 vols.
---, Historia literaria. Problemas y conceptos, Laia, Barcelona, 1983.
Software
Language list
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |