The Image of Barcelona in Literature

INTRODUCTION

After the Olympic Games of 1992, Barcelona became known to the world and an international tourist destination; but a short touristic visit cannot account for the cultural complexities of the Catalan capital. In order to know any city, to ?dwell? in it, we need to become familiar with its oral history, paintings, architecture, sculpture, and literary texts.

More specifically, the more we learn about the literature of Barcelona, the more we shall know about its culture past and present. For this reason this course will explore the city through the eyes of its writers. We shall start in the nineteenth century with the rise of the modern metropolis that we know today and finish with the post-Olympic urban reality of the twenty-first century.

Students will encounter a wide variety of materials- poetry, novel, theater and essay- and will be expected to study them with a critical eye, applying additional historical, cultural and theoretical readings. Our goal will be to arrive at a greater knowledge of the city and its context, as well as the literature surrounding it.

REQUIREMENTS
     - Fluency in English
     - Interest in literature

CONTENTS

The content of the course might be subject to minor changes depending on the class
dynamic. ALL readings will be provided by the instructor.

     • The literary Image: Imagology
     • Brief history of Spain, Catalonia and Barcelona
     • Barcelona in the XIX Century: The birth of a new city
     • European Romanticism and the rebirth of Catalan culture
     • Jacint Verdaguer and Ode to Barcelona: Idealization of the City
     • Demolishion of the medieval walls and The Cerdà Plan
     • European Realism
     • Narcís Oller and The Stockbroker: A city under construction
     • The crisis of 1898 and The Tragic Week
     • Joan Maragall and New Ode to Barcelona and Ode to Spain
     • Revolutionary Barcelona: The Rose of Fire
     • Joan Salvat Papasseit and Nostalgia for Tomorrow and The job I like best: The working class perspective
     • The Civil War
     • George Orwell and Homage to Catalonia
     • Genaral Franco’s Dictatorship
     • Mercè Rodoreda and The Time of the Doves
     • The transition to democracy
     • Quim Monzó’s short stories: The Postmodern dissolution of the urban center