Spanish Theatre
A.Y. 2025/2026
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.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
The course is divided into three units, all focusing on the practice of "rewriting," with the dramaturgy of myths and historical events, but also with the remediation of drama by cinema.
In the first unit, "From Myth to Theater," we will study a few 20th-century interpretations of some of the most famous female figures in classical mythology. In particular, we will read "Electra" by Benito Pérez Galdós (1901), "Fedra" by Miguel de Unamuno (1910), "La tejedora de sueños" (1952) by Antonio Buero Vallejo, centred on Penelope, and "Antígona" by Trinidad Morgades Besari (1991), a writer from Equatorial Guinea. After reviewing the characteristics of those myths and their influence in Western theatre, the selected works will be studied, observing not only the degree of adherence to classical tradition, but also the dramaturgical strategies employed to speak to the present day.
In the second unit, "From History to Theatre", we will analyse some recent and contemporary Spanish plays that revolve around a historical event or character, offering a critical view of Spanish history or a personal interpretation of the events portrayed on stage. The works studied will be "El tragaluz" (1967) by Antonio Buero Vallejo, a reinterpretation of the trauma of the Civil War and a hopeful announcement of a regenerating future; "Guernica" (1969) by Jerónimo López Mozo, an evocation of the bombing of the Basque town that inspired Picasso's masterpiece; "Presas" (2007) by Ignacio del Moral and Verónica Fernández, focusing on the imprisonment of a group of women during the harshest years of Franco's dictatorship; and finally "Ana once de marzo" (2011) by Paloma Pedrero, inspired by the terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11, 2004.
In the third unit of the course, "Lorca from theatre to cinema", students will read the texts of Lorca's trilogy, namely "Bodas de sangre", "Yerma" and "La casa de Bernarda Alba", which will be studied in relation to some well-known adaptations. The films "Bodas de sangre" (Carlos Saura, 1981), "La casa de Bernarda Alba" (Mario Camus, 1987), "La novia" (Paula Ortiz, 2015), and "Barren" (Ruiz Barrachina, 2017), shall be viewed, analyzed in terms of their essential characteristics, and discussed in relation to the works that inspired them.
In the first unit, "From Myth to Theater," we will study a few 20th-century interpretations of some of the most famous female figures in classical mythology. In particular, we will read "Electra" by Benito Pérez Galdós (1901), "Fedra" by Miguel de Unamuno (1910), "La tejedora de sueños" (1952) by Antonio Buero Vallejo, centred on Penelope, and "Antígona" by Trinidad Morgades Besari (1991), a writer from Equatorial Guinea. After reviewing the characteristics of those myths and their influence in Western theatre, the selected works will be studied, observing not only the degree of adherence to classical tradition, but also the dramaturgical strategies employed to speak to the present day.
In the second unit, "From History to Theatre", we will analyse some recent and contemporary Spanish plays that revolve around a historical event or character, offering a critical view of Spanish history or a personal interpretation of the events portrayed on stage. The works studied will be "El tragaluz" (1967) by Antonio Buero Vallejo, a reinterpretation of the trauma of the Civil War and a hopeful announcement of a regenerating future; "Guernica" (1969) by Jerónimo López Mozo, an evocation of the bombing of the Basque town that inspired Picasso's masterpiece; "Presas" (2007) by Ignacio del Moral and Verónica Fernández, focusing on the imprisonment of a group of women during the harshest years of Franco's dictatorship; and finally "Ana once de marzo" (2011) by Paloma Pedrero, inspired by the terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11, 2004.
In the third unit of the course, "Lorca from theatre to cinema", students will read the texts of Lorca's trilogy, namely "Bodas de sangre", "Yerma" and "La casa de Bernarda Alba", which will be studied in relation to some well-known adaptations. The films "Bodas de sangre" (Carlos Saura, 1981), "La casa de Bernarda Alba" (Mario Camus, 1987), "La novia" (Paula Ortiz, 2015), and "Barren" (Ruiz Barrachina, 2017), shall be viewed, analyzed in terms of their essential characteristics, and discussed in relation to the works that inspired them.
Prerequisites for admission
The course, held entirely in Spanish, and the syllabus require solid linguistic skills. The works to be read and the critical bibliography are almost entirely in Spanish, with just a few cases of available Italian translations. Incoming students can attend the course, but they should have a good level of Spanish.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: lectures; group reading and commentary of excerpts from the works studied; critical viewing of documentaries, videoclips of stagings, and movies or works in other media.
Teaching Resources
The course has a website on MyAriel (https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=8573), where students will find texts and critical studies provided by the teacher. For each course unit, specific essays on individual works or authors or on general questions will be made available.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The final examination consists of an interview, in which both theoretical knowledge and the ability to analyse the texts proposed and commented on during the course will be assessed. The duration of the interview depends on the amount of credits the student needs to acquire. The students will be free to choose to take the exam in Italian or Spanish.
Students interested in acquiring 9 credits will prepare all the units of the syllabus; students interested in obtaining just 6 credits will prepare the first and second unit.
The evaluation will focus on the knowledge of the texts and films (if appropriate) listed in the syllabus, the ability to connect the authors and the works studied in their context, the ability to independently develop judgments and interpretations of the texts analyzed and to apply the theories presented in the critical bibliography, the correct use of terminology and the ease of expression in Spanish (if the student opts for that language).
The final grade is expressed on a scale 0-30, with a minimum of 18 as a pass. Students can reject the final grade and take the exam in another date.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and / or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, in connection with the competent office.
This syllabus is valid until September 2026. Starting from December 2026, the only proper syllabus will correspond to the academic year 2026-27.
Students interested in acquiring 9 credits will prepare all the units of the syllabus; students interested in obtaining just 6 credits will prepare the first and second unit.
The evaluation will focus on the knowledge of the texts and films (if appropriate) listed in the syllabus, the ability to connect the authors and the works studied in their context, the ability to independently develop judgments and interpretations of the texts analyzed and to apply the theories presented in the critical bibliography, the correct use of terminology and the ease of expression in Spanish (if the student opts for that language).
The final grade is expressed on a scale 0-30, with a minimum of 18 as a pass. Students can reject the final grade and take the exam in another date.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and / or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, in connection with the competent office.
This syllabus is valid until September 2026. Starting from December 2026, the only proper syllabus will correspond to the academic year 2026-27.
Modules or teaching units
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
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
It is possible to meet the teacher both in person and through Teams; students should schedule an appointment in advance via e-mail.
In person: the teacher room is located in Piazza S. Alessandro 1, Iberistica (third floor). Through Teams: direct remote calls