Comparative Literature: Modern and Postmodern Aesthetics
Code: 106339 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish and Chinese Studies: Language, Literature and Culture | OT | 4 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 3 |
| Spanish Language and Literature | OT | 4 |
| English Studies | OT | 3 |
| English Studies | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Miriam Ruiz-Ruano Risquez
- Email:
- miriam.ruizruano@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. Using AI will be also forbidden. 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.
Objectives and Contextualisation
The course is an approach to the debate around literary modernity and postmodernity. The texts chosen to reflect about these themes hold an eminent place in the current canon, they have been studied from different methodologies and they have received some of the most celebrated practical achievements of literary criticism.
In conversation with the previous ones, we will study texts that, due to their poetic capacity and critical force, appear as vanishing points to the Western canon, and have shown to be capable of generating their own genealogies. The objective of this module is that the selected readings constitute the starting point for a critical reflection on the Western literary tradition.
We will work on the development of a critical perspective considering Cultural Studies, Gender Studies and Reader-Response Criticism.
Competences
- Spanish Language and Literature
- Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
- 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 be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
- Use the methodology and concepts of literary analysis taking into account sources and contexts.
- English Studies
- Apply the methodology of analysis and critical concepts to analysing the literature, culture and history of English-speaking countries.
- Demonstrate skills to work autonomously and in teams to fulfil the planned objectives.
- Develop arguments applicable to the fields of literature, culture and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
- 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 be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse literary texts using the different concepts and methods of comparative literature.
- Argue on various literary themes and problems in relation to 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.
- 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 interpreting literary works taking into account the relationships between the different areas of literature and its relationships with human, artistic and social areas.
- Effectively communicating and applying the argumentative and textual processes to formal and scientific 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 process of interpretation.
- Solving problems about writers, methods and currents of comparative literature, and connecting them with knowledge of other humanistic disciplines.
- Solving problems related to the study of different literatures.
- Use the skills acquired with autonomy.
- Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.
Content
Contents
1. Modernity and Postmodernity. History, meaning and discussion of two concepts
2. Modern poetry: from Baudelaire to Fernando Pessoa
3. Beyond 19th century Realism: sybolism, psychologism and the absurd
4. Concentrationary literature: the end of Enlightenment ideals
5. Distopia
6. Postmodern narrative: magical realism and fantastic literature
-Dossier of modern poetry texts: from Baudelaire to post-symbolism (Virtual Campus)
-Joseph CONRAD, The Heart of Darkness.
-Virginia WOOLF, Mrs. Dalloway.
-Franz KAFKA, Short Stories (Selection on the Virtual Campus)
-Primo LEVI, If this is a man.
-Margaret ATWOOD, The Handmaid's tale.
-Julio CORTÁZAR; J. L. BORGES; Pere CALDERS, [Selection of stories in the Virtual Campus].
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes | 55 | 2.2 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Programmed tutorials | 20 | 0.8 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| written papers | 75 | 3 |
The learning of this subject by the students is distributed as follows:
- Directed activities (35%). These activities are divided into master classes and seminars and classroom practices led by the faculty, in which theoretical explanation is combined with discussion of all types of texts.
- Supervised activities (15%). These tutorials are programmed by the teacher, dedicated to correcting and commenting on problems both related to the syllabus of the subject and, above all, to the written papers that the student must present.
- Autonomous activities. These activities include both time devoted to individual study and production of written papers.
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.
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 | 35% | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9, 5, 4, 13, 11, 10, 12 |
| Exam (2) | 35% | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 2, 7, 6, 8, 9, 5, 4, 13, 11, 10, 12 |
| Test on critical discourses | 30% | 0 | 0 | 1, 3, 7, 5, 4, 11, 10 |
The evaluation will be carried through two tests in the classroom and a short test of 30 minutes on critical texts related to the subject. The student will only be able to take the recovery in the event that he/she has submitted all the work and has obtained an average grade failure.
1) Exams 1 and 2: a partial exam of the first part of the course and an exam of the second part are foreseen. The tests will include: a) a text commentary on one of the compulsory readings b) a test with questions of synthesis and interpretation of the contents seen in class. In the correction, the ability to respond in a clear, orderly and relevant way to the question asked will be valued.
2) Test: They will consist of short tests carried out in the classroom and will deal with (a) lectures related to the contents of the subject and accessible in written or digital format and (b) critical texts from the bibliography.
In case the student makes any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation act, this evaluation act will be graded with 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that may be instituted. In case of several irregularities in the evaluation acts of the samesubject, the final grade of this subject will be 0. That is to say, in no case will plagiarism (total or partial) or the use of Artificial Intelligence be admitted in any of the evaluation exercises.
The student will receive the grade of Not evaluable as long as he/she has not completed more than 30% of the evaluation activities.
At the time of each evaluation activity, the teacher will inform the student of the procedure and the date of review of the grades. In the case of a non-positive evaluation, the student may make new deliveries (work, commentary) and extraordinary tests that will have the same level of difficulty and the same typology as the ordinary tests. Only those students who have submitted at least one of the two final exams will be eligible for the re-evaluation of the subject, and only those exams that have been previously evaluated may be re-evaluated, provided that a minimum grade of 3 points in the average of the subject.
Single evaluation
Students who so wish may take a single evaluation, which will consist of (1) an exam with theoretical questions and text commentary (40%), (2) a test demonstrating the reading of critical texts dealt with in class (40%) and (3) a review of critical texts (40%), and (4) a review of the text of the text (40%). In case of not achieving the competencies of any of the two blocks, the student will have to take the ordinary recovery exam if there are no circumstances that prevent him/her from doing so. If this is the case, the student will have to communicate it at least two weeks in advance so that the teacher can find an alternative date.
Bibliography
Bibliography
This list contains the basic bibliographic references for the theoretical framework of the subject (definition and study of modernity and postmodernity).
The specific bibliography for each author will be shared during the course.
AA.VV., La polémica de la postmodernidad, monográfico de Revista de Occidente, núm. 66 (noviembre de 1986).
Barth, John, «Literatura postmoderna», Quimera, 46/47 (1984-1985), pp. 13-21.
Calinescu, Matei, Cinco caras de la modernidad, Tecnos, Madrid, 1991.
Calvino, Italo, Seis propuestas para el próximo milenio, Ediciones Siruela, Madrid, 1989.
Feher, Ferenc, “Comentario sobre el intermezzo postmodernista”, Revista de Occidente, núm. 66 (noviembre de 1986), pp. 57-74.
Foster, Hal (ed.), La posmodernidad, Kairós, Barcelona, 1985.
Gay,Peter, Modernidad. La atracción de la herejía de Baudelaire a Beckett, Paidós, Barcelona, 2007.
Habermas, Jurgen, El discurso filosófico de la modernidad, Taurus, Madrid, 1989.
Hart, J., “Comparative Poetics, Postmodernism and the Canon: An Introduction”, Canadian Canadian Review of Comparative Literature / Revue Canadienne de Littérature Comparée, 20:1-2 (1993), pp. 1-8.
Hutcheon, Linda, A Poetics of Postmodernism: History, Theory and Fiction, Routledge, Londres, 1988.
Jameson, Fredric, Teoría de la postmodernidad, Trotta, Madrid, 1996.
Jauss, Hans-Robert, «Italo Calvino: Si una noche de invierno un viajero. Informe sobre una estética postmoderna», en Las transformaciones de lo moderno, Visor, Madrid, 1995, pp. 223-251.
Lipovetski, Gilles, La era del vacío. Ensayos sobre el individualismo contemporáneo, Anagrama, Barcelona, 1993.
Lipovetski, Gilles, y Sébastien Charles, Los tiempos hipermodernos, Anagrama, Barcelona, 2006.
Llovet, Jordi, “Vigencia de la modernidad”, La Página, núm. 3 (junio de 1990), pp. 8-15.
Lyon, David, Postmodernidad, Alianza Edtorial, Madrid, 1996.
Lyotard, Jean-François, La condición postmoderna, Cátedra, Madrid, 1986.
Lyotard, Jean-François, «Reescribir la modernidad», Revista de Occidente, 66 (noviembre de 1986), pp. 23-33.
Marchán Fiz, Simón, «Le bateau ivre: para una genealogía de la sensibilidad postmoderna», Revista de Occidente, 42 (noviembre de 1984), pp. 7-28.
Navajas, Gonzalo, «Retórica de la novela postmoderna española», en Teoría y práctica de la novela española posmoderna, Edicions del Mall, Barcelona, 1987, pp. 13-40.
Navajas, Gonzalo, Más allá de la posmodernidad, EUB, Barcelona, 1996.
Pardo, José Luis, «Filosofía y clausura de la modernidad», Revista de Occidente, 66 (noviembre de 1986), pp. 35-47.
Perloff, Marjorie, «Modernist Studies», en S. Greenblatt-G. Gunn, Redrawing the Boundaries, Modern Language Association, Nueva York, 1992, pp. 154-178.
Picó, Josep (comp.), Modernidad y postmodernidad, Alianza Editorial, Madrid, 1988.
Roas, David, Tras los límites de lo real. Una definición de lo fantástico, Páginas de Espuma, Madrid, 2011.
Rowe, John Carlos, «Postmodernist Studies», en S. Greenblatt-G. Gunn, Redrawing the Boundaries, Modern Language Association, Nueva York, 1992, pp. 179-208.
Saldaña, Alfredo, “Postmodernidad: Todo vale, aunque de nada sirva”, Tropelías, núm. 5-6 (1994-1995), pp. 349-369.
Santiáñez, Nil, Investigaciones literarias. Modernidad, historia de la literatura y modernismo, Crítica, Barcelona, 2002.
Vattimo, Gianni, et al., En torno a la posmodernidad, Anthropos, Barcelona, 1990.
Wellmer, Albrecht, Sobre la dialéctica de modernidad y postmodernidad, Visor, Madrid, 1993.
Software
No
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |