Spanish Theatre
A.Y. 2019/2020
Learning objectives
The course aims at introducing the study of the wide dramatic corpus in Spanish language, with a focus on a specific and ever changing period; when possible, a series of classes will be devoted to Latin American theatre. The course is a useful companion to the basic formation in literary studies both for specialist of Spanish and Latin American literature. For students at M.A.level it is possible to take it twice, thus centering on several periods; this option is highly recommended for students graduating in the field. Apart from studying the evolution of the dramatic genre in a given period, the course offers an overview of drama fundamentals, such as staging, difference between scenic and dramatic space, the commercial dimension of playwriting. The basic terminology of theatre studies is presented, and a few videoclips of significant plays are discusseed in class. During the year, students are strongly encouraged to go to theatre, even if scheduled works are not fully related to the contents of the course.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: students will know the evolution of Spanish drama history in the period analysed during the course; they will have read some of the most significant dramatic works of the period considered.
Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be able to position correctly authors, works and movements or schools in the period considered; they will be able to compare dramatic texts and to recognise similarities and differences among them, pointing out the most significant features of every one; they will be able to use the basic terminology of theatre studies; they will connect plays with their historic and social context, and will be able to analyse different strategies of staging and directing; they will develop a sensibility for the ethic values of drama and their impact on audience and readers.
Applying knowledge and understanding: students will be able to position correctly authors, works and movements or schools in the period considered; they will be able to compare dramatic texts and to recognise similarities and differences among them, pointing out the most significant features of every one; they will be able to use the basic terminology of theatre studies; they will connect plays with their historic and social context, and will be able to analyse different strategies of staging and directing; they will develop a sensibility for the ethic values of drama and their impact on audience and readers.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The title of the course is Dictaduras y memoria histórica en el teatro español y rioplatense del siglo XX and it is structured in three teaching units:
A: Buero, Sastre y Arrabal frente al régimen franquista
B: Historia y memoria en el teatro español contemporáneo
C: Las dictaduras militares de Uruguay y Argentina y el teatro
Students who are taking the course for 6 credits will read the bibliography of units A and B (if Spanish Literature specialists), or to the bibliography of units B and C (if Latin American Literature specialists); all students who are taking the course for 9 credits will read the complete bibliography (units A, B and C). Students of other B.A. programmes who are taking to acquire only 6 CFU will be able to agree with the teacher which units to prepare.
Unit A will study the Spanish theatre in the Francoist era, and strategies adopted by some authors to deal with issues that were unpleasant for the regime, even under the strict censorship. Unit B will propose texts by living authors that, through drama, reflect on the historical memory of the traumatic events of the previous decades, in Spain and Europe, with particular attention to the Spanish Civil War and the Shoah. In Unit C, an introduction to exemplary works of Argentinian and Uruguayan dramaturgy will be proposed, and indirect and allusive ways of dealing with the period of the military dictatorships of the two countries will be studied.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2021. Starting from the summer session 2021 it will be possible to take the examination only on the syllabus for academic year 2020-21.
A: Buero, Sastre y Arrabal frente al régimen franquista
B: Historia y memoria en el teatro español contemporáneo
C: Las dictaduras militares de Uruguay y Argentina y el teatro
Students who are taking the course for 6 credits will read the bibliography of units A and B (if Spanish Literature specialists), or to the bibliography of units B and C (if Latin American Literature specialists); all students who are taking the course for 9 credits will read the complete bibliography (units A, B and C). Students of other B.A. programmes who are taking to acquire only 6 CFU will be able to agree with the teacher which units to prepare.
Unit A will study the Spanish theatre in the Francoist era, and strategies adopted by some authors to deal with issues that were unpleasant for the regime, even under the strict censorship. Unit B will propose texts by living authors that, through drama, reflect on the historical memory of the traumatic events of the previous decades, in Spain and Europe, with particular attention to the Spanish Civil War and the Shoah. In Unit C, an introduction to exemplary works of Argentinian and Uruguayan dramaturgy will be proposed, and indirect and allusive ways of dealing with the period of the military dictatorships of the two countries will be studied.
The course syllabus is valid until February 2021. Starting from the summer session 2021 it will be possible to take the examination only on the syllabus for academic year 2020-21.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is held entirely in Spanish, and the bibliography request a solid linguistic competence. Students of programmes other than Foreign Languages and Literatures that are beginners or anyway not proficient in Spanish, are not guaranteed the availability of Italian translations. They are kindly invited to check with the teacher in advance to adjust the syllabus and the bibliography, if possibile. Incoming students (Erasmus+ or other forms of mobility) are allowed to take the course, provided that they have a solid linguistic competence in Spanish.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: frontal teaching with the use of slides; close reading of selected scenes from the works studied; viewing and commentary of videoclips, stage photographs, and documentaries.
Teaching Resources
The course has a webpage on distance learning platform Ariel (https://acassolsts.ariel.ctu.unimi.it), where students can find lecture notes, slides and other material uploaded by the teacher. Following is the requested reading list.
Unit A
Antonio Buero Vallejo, Historia de una escalera (1949). Recommended edition: Historia de una escalera, ed. Virtudes Serrano, Madrid, Espasa Calpe, 2010 (ISBN: 9788467033281). Suggested translation: Storia di una scala, ed. Veronica Orazi, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2008 (ISBN: 9788860871633).
Alfonso Sastre, Escuadra hacia la muerte (1953). Recommended edition: Squadra verso la morte, ed. Enrico Di Pastena, Pisa, ETS, 2013 (ISBN 9788846738158).
Alfonso Sastre, La mordaza (1954). Recommended edition: Il bavaglio, ed. Enrico Di Pastena, Pisa, Il Campano, 2011 (ISBN 9788865282113).
Fernando Arrabal, El laberinto (1956). Recommended edition: El laberinto, in Pic-nic. El triciclo. El laberinto, ed. Ángel Berenguer, Madrid, Cátedra, 2005 (ISBN 9788437601007).
Antonio Buero Vallejo, La doble historia del doctor Valmy (1964). Recommended edition: La doble historia del doctor Valmy. Mito, ed. Carlos Álvarez, Madrid, Espasa, 1992 or later reprints (ISBN 9788423972807).
Antonio Buero Vallejo, El tragaluz (1967). Recommended edition: El tragaluz, edición de Luis Iglesias Feijoo, Madrid, Espasa, 2011 (ISBN 9788467033366) or later reprints. Suggested translation: Il lucernario, by Roberto Riccardi, Torino, Quaderni Ibero-Americani, 1978.
Antonio Buero Vallejo, El sueño de la razón (1970). Recommended edition: El sueño de la razón, ed. Mariano de Paco, Madrid, Espasa, 1999 (ISBN 9788467031133). Suggested translation: Il sonno della ragione, ed. Maria Teresa Cattaneo, Milano, Mimesis, 2007 (ISBN 9788884835796).
Other editions may also be used, provided they are complete and accompanied by adequate critical introductions and commentary; in this case it is advisable to consult with the teacher in advance.
Unit B
José Sanchis Sinisterra, Terror y miseria en el primer franquismo (1979). Recommended edition: Terror y miseria en el primer franquismo, ed. Milagros Sánchez Arnosi, Madrid, Cátedra, 2003 (ISBN 843762097X).
José Sanchis Sinisterra, ¡Ay, Carmela! (1987). Recommended edition: ¡Ay, Carmela! El lector por horas, ed. Eduardo Pérez Rasilla, Madrid, Espasa-Calpe, 2000 (ISBN 8423974952).
Juan Mayorga, Cartas de amor a Stalin (1997). Recommended edition: Cartas de amor a Stalin, in Cartas de amor a Stalin. La paz perpetua, ed. Francisco Gutiérrez Carbajo, Madrid, Castalia, 2016 (ISBN 9788497407076).
Juan Mayorga, Himmelweg (2003). Recommended edition: Himmelweg, in Teatro sulla Shoah, ed. E. Di Pastena, Pisa, ETS, 2014 (ISBN 9788846740816).
Laila Ripoll, Los niños perdidos (2005). Recommended edition: Los niños perdidos, Oviedo, KRK Ediciones, 2010 (ISBN 9788483672884).
Manuel Calzada Pérez, El diccionario (2013). Recommended edition: El diccionario, Artezblai, 2013 (ISBN 9788494092121).
The works by Mayorga are included also in the anthology Teatro 1989-2014, Segovia, La Uña Rota, 2014 (ISBN 9788495291301).
Unità didattica C
Eduardo Pavlovski, El Señor Galíndez (1973).
Roberto Cossa, La Nona (1977).
Ricardo Prieto, El huésped vacío (1977).
Mario Benedetti, Pedro y el Capitán (1979).
Griselda Gambaro, Decir sí (1981).
Mauricio Rosencof, El combate del establo (1985).
Griselda Gambaro, Atando cabos (1991).
Due to the difficulty to find or acquire Unit C works, the teacher will upload available editions on the webpage.
Advise for non attending students
The bibliography for students not attending classes is the same. Obviously, given the difficulty of preparing independently, it is recommended that non-attending students devote sufficient time to studying and elaborating the requested materials and do not approach the examination with excessive ease.
Unit A
Antonio Buero Vallejo, Historia de una escalera (1949). Recommended edition: Historia de una escalera, ed. Virtudes Serrano, Madrid, Espasa Calpe, 2010 (ISBN: 9788467033281). Suggested translation: Storia di una scala, ed. Veronica Orazi, Firenze, Le Lettere, 2008 (ISBN: 9788860871633).
Alfonso Sastre, Escuadra hacia la muerte (1953). Recommended edition: Squadra verso la morte, ed. Enrico Di Pastena, Pisa, ETS, 2013 (ISBN 9788846738158).
Alfonso Sastre, La mordaza (1954). Recommended edition: Il bavaglio, ed. Enrico Di Pastena, Pisa, Il Campano, 2011 (ISBN 9788865282113).
Fernando Arrabal, El laberinto (1956). Recommended edition: El laberinto, in Pic-nic. El triciclo. El laberinto, ed. Ángel Berenguer, Madrid, Cátedra, 2005 (ISBN 9788437601007).
Antonio Buero Vallejo, La doble historia del doctor Valmy (1964). Recommended edition: La doble historia del doctor Valmy. Mito, ed. Carlos Álvarez, Madrid, Espasa, 1992 or later reprints (ISBN 9788423972807).
Antonio Buero Vallejo, El tragaluz (1967). Recommended edition: El tragaluz, edición de Luis Iglesias Feijoo, Madrid, Espasa, 2011 (ISBN 9788467033366) or later reprints. Suggested translation: Il lucernario, by Roberto Riccardi, Torino, Quaderni Ibero-Americani, 1978.
Antonio Buero Vallejo, El sueño de la razón (1970). Recommended edition: El sueño de la razón, ed. Mariano de Paco, Madrid, Espasa, 1999 (ISBN 9788467031133). Suggested translation: Il sonno della ragione, ed. Maria Teresa Cattaneo, Milano, Mimesis, 2007 (ISBN 9788884835796).
Other editions may also be used, provided they are complete and accompanied by adequate critical introductions and commentary; in this case it is advisable to consult with the teacher in advance.
Unit B
José Sanchis Sinisterra, Terror y miseria en el primer franquismo (1979). Recommended edition: Terror y miseria en el primer franquismo, ed. Milagros Sánchez Arnosi, Madrid, Cátedra, 2003 (ISBN 843762097X).
José Sanchis Sinisterra, ¡Ay, Carmela! (1987). Recommended edition: ¡Ay, Carmela! El lector por horas, ed. Eduardo Pérez Rasilla, Madrid, Espasa-Calpe, 2000 (ISBN 8423974952).
Juan Mayorga, Cartas de amor a Stalin (1997). Recommended edition: Cartas de amor a Stalin, in Cartas de amor a Stalin. La paz perpetua, ed. Francisco Gutiérrez Carbajo, Madrid, Castalia, 2016 (ISBN 9788497407076).
Juan Mayorga, Himmelweg (2003). Recommended edition: Himmelweg, in Teatro sulla Shoah, ed. E. Di Pastena, Pisa, ETS, 2014 (ISBN 9788846740816).
Laila Ripoll, Los niños perdidos (2005). Recommended edition: Los niños perdidos, Oviedo, KRK Ediciones, 2010 (ISBN 9788483672884).
Manuel Calzada Pérez, El diccionario (2013). Recommended edition: El diccionario, Artezblai, 2013 (ISBN 9788494092121).
The works by Mayorga are included also in the anthology Teatro 1989-2014, Segovia, La Uña Rota, 2014 (ISBN 9788495291301).
Unità didattica C
Eduardo Pavlovski, El Señor Galíndez (1973).
Roberto Cossa, La Nona (1977).
Ricardo Prieto, El huésped vacío (1977).
Mario Benedetti, Pedro y el Capitán (1979).
Griselda Gambaro, Decir sí (1981).
Mauricio Rosencof, El combate del establo (1985).
Griselda Gambaro, Atando cabos (1991).
Due to the difficulty to find or acquire Unit C works, the teacher will upload available editions on the webpage.
Advise for non attending students
The bibliography for students not attending classes is the same. Obviously, given the difficulty of preparing independently, it is recommended that non-attending students devote sufficient time to studying and elaborating the requested materials and do not approach the examination with excessive ease.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination consists in an individual interview, with specific questions by the teacher, free interaction between the teacher and the student, and commentary of one or more excerpts taken from the works studied.
The duration of the interview depends on how many units the student is taking; the interview is held entirely in Spanish for students of the M.A. in European and Extraeuropean Languages and Literatures, preferably in Spanish for students of the B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures, and in Italian or Spanish for other students. The interview aim to ascertain the solid knowledge of the works studied, the ability to put in their context authors and works, the oral exposition skills, a correct use of the specific theatre studies terminology, the ability to critically think and elaborate on the course themes. If the interview is taken in Spanish, the level of linguistic competence will be evaluated.
The final grade is expressed on a 0-30 scale, where 18 is necessary to pass, and a lesser grade means a failure; in this case, the final grade will be recorded as "failed". Students are entitled to to reject the grade proposed by the teacher; in this case, the final grade will be recorded as "withdrawn".
International students or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact with the teacher in advance.
The assessment methods and criteria for students with disabilities and/or learning disorders must be arranged with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
The duration of the interview depends on how many units the student is taking; the interview is held entirely in Spanish for students of the M.A. in European and Extraeuropean Languages and Literatures, preferably in Spanish for students of the B.A. in Foreign Languages and Literatures, and in Italian or Spanish for other students. The interview aim to ascertain the solid knowledge of the works studied, the ability to put in their context authors and works, the oral exposition skills, a correct use of the specific theatre studies terminology, the ability to critically think and elaborate on the course themes. If the interview is taken in Spanish, the level of linguistic competence will be evaluated.
The final grade is expressed on a 0-30 scale, where 18 is necessary to pass, and a lesser grade means a failure; in this case, the final grade will be recorded as "failed". Students are entitled to to reject the grade proposed by the teacher; in this case, the final grade will be recorded as "withdrawn".
International students or incoming Erasmus students are invited to contact with the teacher in advance.
The assessment methods and criteria for students with disabilities and/or learning disorders must be arranged with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
Unita' didattica A
L-LIN/05 - SPANISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica B
L-LIN/05 - SPANISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Unita' didattica C
L-LIN/05 - SPANISH LITERATURE - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)
Reception:
It is possible to meet the teacher both in person and throught Teams; students should schedule an appointment .in advance via e-mail.
Office hours: the teacher room is located in Piazza S. Alessandro 1, first floor, Iberistica (stairs to the second floor). Remote calls: Teams (access code: 0tjneag).