Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Comparative Literature
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,
Teaching staff
Introduction
Direct knowledge, that is, reading great works of universal literature, is neither an adornment nor a luxury; it is a necessity. The works of the classics contain the secrets –in an aesthetic and narrative key– of our own identity, of history and the human condition. For this reason, in the Faculty of Humanities literature is not a complement, but an essential element for the training of humanists.
Pre-course requirements
Erasmus students should bear in mind that there will be readings in Catalan.
Objectives
The main objective of this course is to train good readers of literature. With this purpose, its aim is for students to acquire an interpretive and analytical, theoretical and practical competence, within the proper coordinates of Comparative Literature. They must develop the ability to analyse and interpret works from different literary traditions, know how to perceive the continuity and reworking of literary elements (themes, motives, genres, etc.) and understand historical and cultural factors. In addition, they must improve their ability to make and present arguments, both orally and in writing, about literary works.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CP05 - Students will be able to analyse socio-cultural, historical and artistic structures, from a respect for the fundamental rights of equality between men and women, using language that avoids androcentricity and stereotypes.
- HB03 - Students will be able to develop a coherent understanding and expression of ideas and arguments, both orally and in writing.
- HB04 - Students will be able to develop the capacity for analysis, synthesis and critical thinking.
- HB08 - Students will be able to research different humanistic disciplines based on an analysis and comparison of relevant information.
- HB12 - Students will be able to adequately and effectively apply methods and techniques specific to different humanities disciplines when problem solving and when elaborating critical and well-founded arguments.
- HB14 - Students will be able to critically evaluate cultural and humanistic production.
- HB17 - Students will be able to use data collection tools with a high degree of independence, such as library catalogues, archival inventories, documentary sources, electronic references and other resources.
- HB19 - Students will be able to analyse original texts or documents in their mother tongue and in other languages, with appropriate summaries and categorisation techniques.
Learning outcomes of the subject
- The student will read and analyse the literary works of the programme; understand in detail the literary texts, taking into account the historical and cultural context and literary models in force in a given period.
- The student will learn to compare literary works as a tool for analogy and contrast as well as a critical and assessment method.
- The student will acquire a method, both rigorous and flexible, to analyse the works; identify and assess the characteristics of the narrator and the literary genre, the characterisation of the characters (description, development, resources used to build them, etc.), the plot (recognising the structure, resources for development and outcome, etc.) , the setting (recognising references to time and place, capturing their relationship with the plot and the evolution of the characters, etc.), the theme, literary motives, etc.
- The student will have a rational dialogue and an explanatory discourse (orderly, coherent, rich in content), the result of combining the assimilated information and personal reflection on literary works.
- The student will have a global vision of the western literary tradition that allows them to perceive its continuity and overcome the deficits of a study based solely on works of a single nation or language.
Syllabus
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-La literatura comparada: orígenes, definición y evolución de la disciplina.
-Modalidades de la literatura comparada: intertextualidad e interdisciplinariedad.
-Comparatismo y tradición; recepción y traducción.
-Análisis comparatistas. Casos prácticos:
a) Comparativismo interliterario
-Guillermo el del halcón (fabliau anónimo en la versión de Jean Moréas).
-Giovanni Boccaccio: El halcón de Federigo (y otros textos que siguen su estela).
-Franz Kafka: El buitre.
-Gabriel García Márquez: Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes.
-Juan Rulfo: No oyes ladrar los perros.
-Cristina Peri Rossi: Historia de amor.
-Jorge Luis Borges: Pierre Menard, autor del Quijote.
b) Comparatismo interdisciplinar
Literatura y filosofía: Samuel Beckett, Esperando a Godot. Literatura y cinematografía: Stefan Zweig, Carta de una desconocida.
Literatura, cinematografía y cómic: Cormac MacCarthy, La carretera.
Literatura y artes:
Literatura, cine, música, fotografía y pintura: Todas las mañanas del mundo;
texto literario de Pascal Quignard;
filme de Alain Corneau;
música francesa del s. XVII (Marin Marais, Sainte Colombe, Lully, Couperin; versiones de Jordi Savall);
fotografía de Yves Angelo/ pintura (tenebrismo de Georges de La Tour; bodegones de Chardin; composición de Rembrandt).
Otras opciones:
Literatura y pintura: Honoré de Balzac, La obra maestra desconocida (pasajes seleccionados) / Yasmina Reza, Arte/ Rafael Alberti, A la pintura / poemas de Anne Sexton, José Ángel Valente…
Literatura y música: selección de textos y piezas musicales diversas proporcionada por la profesora.
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Reading and analysis of literary texts and other documentary and/or creative sources; discussion of the readings, topics covered in class, and material prepared in advance by students; practical exercises and examples relating to the concepts explained.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
-Written final exam (50%).
-Completion and oral defense of a comparative project (35%). It must include a minimum of three academic sources.
-Exercises/quizzes on the readings (15%).