SPAN453

Widely acknowledged as the first modern novel, Don Quixote tells the story of a middle-aged Spanish gentleman who, obsessed with the chivalrous ideals found in romantic tales, decides to take up his lance and sword to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked. Seated upon his horse Rocinante and accompanied by his loyal squire Sancho Panza, Don Quixote sets out on the roads of Spain seeking adventure and glory. The course will consist of a close reading of Don Quixote. We will analyze and comment on the novel at the literal and historical levels, as well as in its symbolic and widely anthropological dimensions. We will also establish a dialogue between Don Quixote and the narrative and philosophical traditions of Europe, United States and Latin America. Taught in Spanish.