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Narrative: From Víctor Català to Mercè Rodoreda

Code: 105838 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OB 2
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 3
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 4
2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies OT 3
2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies OT 4

Contact

Name:
Nuria Santamaria Roig
Email:
nuria.santamaria@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

It is advisable to have studied 'Moviments literaris del Modernisme a la Postmodernitat' and 'Gèneres literaris i societat contemporània' (Filologia Catalana: Estudis de Literatura i Lingüística program).


Objectives and Contextualisation

The course aims to describe and analyze some significant samples of Catalan twentieth century narrative (novel and short story). From the perspective of the history of literature, this course will focus on the contextual elements essential to understand and value some of the most representative examples of literature of the period. Some significant literary works will be studied and discussed alongside some examples of contemporary criticism, with the aim of contextualizing debates and proposals that decisively conditioned the evolution of the genre. At the end of the course, the student must be able to:

a) Demonstrate basic knowledge about the history of 20th-century Catalan narrative.

b) Show the right level of reading comprehension and analysis of literary works and criticism texts.

c) Produce written and oral texts that analyze literary works taking into account the particularities of the genre and the contextual issues.

d) Use appropriately some basic resources for the search of information in the literary field.

e) Use properly secondary resources.

f) Express an informed assessment of the texts studied.


Competences

    Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics
  • 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.
  • Assess gender inequalities when acting in this field of knowledge.
  • 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.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Act in one's own field of knowledge evaluating inequalities based on sex/gender.
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Critically evaluate the literary and cultural production in the Catalan and English languages and their historical and social context.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of Catalan and mastery of its foundations and applications in the academic and professional fields.
  • 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.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Recognise the most significant periods, traditions, tendencies, authors and works of literature in the Catalan and English languages in their socio-historical context.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems 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 in order 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.
    Catalan and Spanish Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Carry out historical-type studies on tendences, genres and authors of the Catalan and Spanish literary tradition.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of Catalan and Spanish and mastery of their applications in the academic and professional fields.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Produce arguments applicable to the areas of Catalan and Spanish philology, literary theory and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Recognise the most significant periods, traditions, tendences, authors and works in Catalan and Spanish literature in their historical and social contexts.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.
  • Use the methodology and concepts of literary analysis taking into account the sources and the historical and social context.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse literary texts from philological and comparative standpoints, and identify literary language models in contemporary Catalan texts.
  2. Analyse the fundamental aspects of ethical conduct and the challenges this poses to a culturally diverse environment.
  3. Apply the tools and know consult the documentary sources.
  4. Apply the tools and know consult the specific documentary sources.
  5. Comment on a text taking into account the figures of thought and expression.
  6. Comment on literary texts, apply the acquired tools and take into account the historical and sociocultural context.
  7. Comment on literary texts, using the instruments acquired, with regard to the historical, social and cultural context.
  8. Commenting on literary texts, applying the acquired tools and taking into account the historical and sociocultural context.
  9. Critically interpret bibliography.
  10. Critically interpret literary works take into account the relationships between different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
  11. Critically interpret literary works taking into account their historical and social context.
  12. Critically interpret literary works, taking into account the relationships between the different areas within literature and their relationship to humanistic, artistic and social areas.
  13. Critically interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
  14. Demonstrate a solid knowledge of subjects related to the study of Literature and Culture in general.
  15. Describe the historical context of contemporary Catalan literature and relate works to their historical and cultural context.
  16. Describe the main characteristics of a specific literary genre.
  17. Detail the structure of a specific literary production.
  18. Develop effective written work and oral presentations and adapted to the appropriate register.
  19. Discern the sex/gender factor in the configuration of the literary canon.
  20. Elaborate summaries or reviews of academic works.
  21. Expose knowledge about the history, art and other cultural movements.
  22. Express oneself effectively by applying argumentative and textual procedures in formal and scientific texts, in the language studied.
  23. Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
  24. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  25. Identify relationships between literature and history, art and other cultural movements.
  26. Identify the features of the literary genres of Realism and Modernism.
  27. Identify the key elements of Western cultural tradition from the 19th century to the present day.
  28. Identify the literary themes of a text.
  29. Identify the main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  30. Identify the main arguments of a written text.
  31. Identify the relationships between literature and history, art and other cultural movements.
  32. Identifying the key elements of the Western culture from the 19th century to the present.
  33. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  34. Identifying the relationships of literature with history, art or other cultural movements.
  35. Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
  36. Integrate knowledge and information from academic sources consulted for written work, citing, referencing and paraphrasing correctly.
  37. Interpret Western cultural tradition from the 19th century to the present day, pinpointing features of the Western tradition in a contemporary text.
  38. Justify the characteristics of the texts and literary periods under study in different types of academic writing (written exams, academic papers, summaries and reviews).
  39. Know how to comment critically on a text from a basic analytical reading.
  40. Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
  41. Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
  42. Master oral and written expression in Catalan.
  43. Organise content clearly and appropriately for oral presentation.
  44. Organise the autonomous component to the learning process in an effective manner.
  45. Plan, organise and carry out work in a team.
  46. Present and explain overall perspectives on phenomena of contemporary Catalan literature.
  47. Produce advanced-level critical texts on the most significant trends, authors and works in Catalan literature.
  48. Produce critical texts on the main trends, the most significant authors and the most representative works in Catalan literature.
  49. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  50. Produce work in accordance with academic ethics.
  51. Produce written and oral texts with correction rules.
  52. Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  53. Properly apply the knowledge gained to data collection and management of documentary sources application to the study of Catalan language and literature.
  54. Recognise literary texts from philological and comparative standpoints, apply these criteria to texts in contemporary Catalan literature and write analyses of the literary language of contemporary Catalan texts.
  55. Recognise the literary sources of a text.
  56. Recognise the main periods of Western literary history and their general features.
  57. Recognise the principles of the discipline of study and its main sources.
  58. Recognize literary texts from philological bases and comparatists apply to the texts of contemporary Catalan literature and writing analysis of contemporary Catalan literary language texts.
  59. Relate an author to his or her period and its literary features.
  60. Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
  61. Rigorously approach the values conveyed by the texts analysed, carrying out constructive criticism.
  62. Rigorously assess the values conveyed by the texts analysed, making constructive criticism.
  63. Strengthen the capacity of reading, interpretation and critical analysis of literary texts and language.
  64. Use IT tools and be able to consult specific documentary sources.
  65. Use appropriate terminology in the construction of an academic text.
  66. Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
  67. Use the appropriate terminology in the construction of an academic text and in the transmission of their knowledge.
  68. Work independently in the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
  69. Write a summary of contents in a coherent and cohesive way.
  70. Write and present academic works.
  71. Write complex original essays, showing mastery of the relevant literature, on contemporary authors and works.
  72. Write historical interpretative essays on the contemporary literary tradition.
  73. Write historical interpretative essays, at an advanced level, on the contemporary literary tradition.
  74. Write original essays, showing mastery of the relevant literature and of contemporary authors and works.
  75. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

 

1. The crisis of Naturalism and the crisis of the novel.
1.1. Novel and storytelling: the search for new forms
1.2. The narrative models of Modernism.
2. The narrative during the Noucentisme.
2.1. Arbitrary aesthetics and attempts to adapt narrative genres.
2.2. Parallel initiatives: consumer literature.
3. The narrative between 1925 and 1939.
3.1. The debate on the novel and the literary market.
3.2. New narrative models.
4. The postwar period.
4.1. The voices of exile.
4.2. Narrative strategies from the inside: recompositions and innovations.
5. The 60s: mythifications and engagement.
6. The last section of the century: generational and gender narratives. Integrated and disintegrations.
 
* Contents and compulsory books will be told in detail on the first day of the course. Both will be uploaded to the Virtual Campus too. 

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures and contextualization of selected texts. 35 1.4 41, 7, 15, 19, 27, 24, 31, 12, 23, 54
Oral presentation on examples of criticism following a script overseen by the teacher. 11 0.44 41, 7, 15, 19, 42, 46, 52, 27, 24, 31, 60, 45, 23, 49, 54
Type: Supervised      
Discussions on selected books and texts. 15 0.6 41, 7, 15, 42, 46, 27, 24, 31, 12, 60, 23, 49, 54
Production of texts analysis under the teacher's guidance. 15 0.6 41, 64, 7, 15, 19, 42, 50, 52, 24, 31, 12, 23, 49, 54, 72, 74, 75, 66
Type: Autonomous      
Reading and personal study 46.5 1.86 41, 27, 24, 31, 23
Search and systematisation of bibliographic and documentary sources. 19 0.76 41, 64, 23, 54, 66

Lectures 

Text comments 

Debates 

Self- study

 

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
(Individual or group) Exercises 40% 3 0.12 61, 2, 1, 41, 53, 64, 4, 3, 6, 8, 7, 5, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 42, 70, 20, 48, 50, 47, 21, 46, 22, 67, 52, 27, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 29, 33, 31, 25, 34, 35, 36, 9, 11, 10, 13, 12, 37, 38, 40, 60, 44, 43, 45, 23, 63, 49, 51, 18, 56, 57, 55, 54, 58, 72, 71, 74, 75, 69, 73, 59, 39, 68, 65, 66, 62
Participation and contribution 10% 3 0.12 61, 1, 6, 8, 7, 5, 14, 15, 17, 19, 42, 50, 21, 46, 22, 67, 27, 32, 28, 26, 24, 29, 33, 31, 25, 34, 9, 11, 10, 13, 12, 37, 38, 40, 60, 43, 23, 63, 49, 51, 55, 54, 58, 59, 39, 65, 62
Written exam 50% 2.5 0.1 61, 2, 1, 41, 53, 6, 8, 7, 5, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 42, 70, 20, 48, 50, 47, 21, 46, 22, 67, 52, 27, 32, 30, 28, 26, 24, 29, 33, 31, 25, 34, 35, 36, 9, 11, 10, 13, 12, 37, 38, 40, 60, 44, 45, 23, 63, 49, 51, 18, 56, 57, 55, 54, 58, 72, 71, 74, 75, 69, 73, 59, 39, 68, 65, 66, 62

 

In order to pass the course, a minimum score of 5 is required. The course assessment is the result of the sum of the percentages of the whole assessment activities. 

The correct use of the language will be taken into account in the evaluation. Papers will not be admitted after the deadline.

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, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

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.

Review procedures: students have a right to review their exercises with the teacher in a personal tutorial, on the set dates, never later than two weeks after the exercise/exam is marked.

The exam (50%) is susceptible to be reassessed.

The student will be entitled to the reassessment of the subject if he or she has been evaluated of the set of activities, the weight of which equals a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade of the subject. Students who are eligible for reassessments have got a final average exam mark should be between 3.5 and 4.9. Reassessment will be an exam. The exam is awarded a Pass/Fail mark, and the maximum possible mark is a 5.

 

Single avaluation 

1. Individual exercise (30%)

2. Oral exam (30%)

3. Final exam. (40%) 

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.

The same assessment method as continuous assessment will be used.

Students will obtain a Not assessed/Not submitted course grade unless they have submitted more than 1/3 of the assessment items

 

 


Bibliography

Provisional references

  

Bou, Enric (dir.), Panorama crític de la literatura catalana, vols. V i VI: segle xx, Barcelona, Vicens Vives, 2010.

 

Campillo, Maria, El conte de 1911 a 1939, Barcelona, Edicions 62, 1983.

 

Castellanos, Jordi. Literatura i societat. La construcció d'una cultura nacional, Barcelona, L'Avenç. 2013.

 

Castellanos, Jordi, "Estudis, edicions, escrits", Els Marges, Número extraordinari, 2013.

 

Castellanos, Jordi & Marrugat, Jordi (dirs.) Història de la Literatura Catalana, vol. 6, Barcelona, Enciclopèdia Catalana / Barcino / Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2020.

 Castellanos, Jordi & Marrugat, Jordi (dirs.) Història de la Literatura Catalana, vol. 7, Barcelona, Enciclopèdia Catalana / Barcino / Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2021.

 

Gabriel, Pere (dir.), Història de la Cultura Catalana, vols. IX i X, Barcelona, Edicions 62, 1998-1999.

 

Panyella, Ramon (ed.), Concepcions i discursos sobre la modernitat en la literatura catalana dels segles XIX i XX, Lleida, Punctum i GELCC, 2010.

 

Panyella, Ramon; Marrugat, Jordi (eds.), L'escriptor i la seva imatge. Contribució a la història dels intel·lectuals en la literatura catalana contemporània, Barcelona, Grup d’Estudis de Literatura Catalana Contemporània / L'Avenç, 2006.

 

Malé, Jordi, Les idees literàries al període d'entreguerres, Lleida, Pagès, 2012.

 

Molas, Joaquim (dir.), Història de la literatura catalana. Part Moderna, vols. VIII, IX, X, XI, Barcelona, Ariel, 1986-1988.

 

Real, Neus, Les novel·listes dels anys trenta: obra narrativa i recepció crítica, Barcelona, Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat, 2006.

 

Sullà, Enric (ed.), Poètica de la narració, Barcelona, Empúries, 1985.

 

Sullà, Enric (ed.), Antología de textos del siglo XX, Barcelona, Crítica, 1996.

 

Tadié, Jean-Yves, Le roman au XXe siècle, París, Belfond, 1990.

 

Triadú, Joan, La novel·la catalana de postguerra, Barcelona, Edicions 62, 1982.

 

Vilanova, Antonio, Auge y supervivencia de una cultura prohibida. Literatura catalana de postguerra, Barcelona, Destino, 2005.

 

Yates, Alan, Una generació sense novel·la?, Barcelona, Edicions 62, 1975.

 

 

 Webgrafia

 

Traces

https://traces.uab.cat/

 

Lletra (UOC)

https://lletra.uoc.edu/

 

Espais Escrits

https://www.espaisescrits.cat/

 

AELC

https://www.escriptors.cat/

 

 


Software

  


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed