RLSP 271
The Interaction of Three Religions and Cultures in Early Modern Spain
Last Offered Fall 2007
Division I
Cross-listed COMP 265
This course is not offered in the current catalog

In this course we will study a number of key literary texts produced in the Medieval period and the Golden Age of Spain (approximately the 11th to the 17th centuries). Throughout, our special focus will be on a feature that is often highlighted as unique to Spain: the co-existence of three religions and cultures on the Iberian Peninsula over a period of at least eight-hundred years. We will analyze and critique the idea of the influence of one culture over another, the meaning of co-existence, and the boundaries between hostility and entente, all as seen through the lens of literature. We will supplement our primary readings with theoretical and historical analyses. Texts will include selections from Hebrew and Arabic literature produced in Spain, El Cid, El libro de buen amor, La Celestina, popular and learned poetry, drama by Golden Age artists, short stories by Cervantes, writings by San Juan de la Cruz and Fray Luis de León. Conducted in Spanish.