Department of Spanish and Portuguese

Prerequisite: Must be a Graduate student

The first part of this course will examine the emergence, development, and impact of a thirteenth-century poetic school known as the Mester de Clerecía. Apart from the spiritual, hagiographic works of Gonzalo de Berceo, heroic texts concerning legends such as that of Alexander the Great formed part of this movement. Also important were works that reflected Jewish and Islamic cultures on the Peninsula, and in particular the anonymous Poema de Yusuf (composed in Aljamiado, or Iberian Romance written in Arabic characters) and the Proverbios morales of the Rabi Sem Tob. The second part of the course will examine the relationship between these texts and the fourteenth-century Libro de buen amor (LBA), a work which builds on, adapts, and subversively transforms conventions and traditions inherited from these earlier poets. Graduate in Departments other than Spanish and Portuguese are also encouraged to enroll.

HISP-S 618   #30685       9:45A-11:00A       MW       WH 108          Prof. Ryan Giles