Comparative Literature

Social and Sexual Transgressions in Late Medieval and Early Modern European Literature (1200‒1700)

mlillywhite@middlebury.edu — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:40:45 +0000

Social and Sexual Transgressions in Late Medieval and Early Modern European Literature (1200‒1700) CMLT0030 / GSFS 0030 mlillywhite@mi… Fri, 01/20/2023 - 09:40 Tutorials Comparative Literature Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

The literature of late medieval and early modern Europe is replete with social and sexual transgressors who have often been overlooked by scholars. This course explores a range of characters on the margins of social and sexual acceptability in order to re-evaluate preconceptions held about matters of gender, sexuality, and social roles in the period 1200–1700. It places particular emphasis on issues of homosexual desire, sexual trickery and seduction, and progressive female characters and writers. Students may choose to study a selection of literary texts in the areas of prose, the short story, poetry, and drama.

Sample topics:

Saints and Sinners in Alfonso X’s Songs of the Virgin Mary.
Sexual Escapades in Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron.
The Outspoken Wife of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
Forthright Women in Gil Vicente’s Farce of Inês Pereira.
Sexual Seduction and Trickery in Juan Ruiz’s The Book of Good Love.
Go-Betweens and Sorceresses in Fernando de Roja’s Celestina.
Transgenderism and Transvestism in António Ferreira’s Bristo.
Sexual Misbehaviour and Deceptions in Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron.
Homosexual Desire in Richard Barnfield’s The Affectionate Shepherd and Cynthia.
The Female Rogue of Francisco López de Úbeda’s The Lives of Justina.
Swindlers and Tricksters in Francisco de Quevedo’s The Swindler.
Immorality Exposed in Francisco de Quevedo’s Dreams and Discourses.
Female Agency in María de Zayas’s Amorous and Exemplary Tales.
The Strong-Willed Nun of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s The House of Trials

These texts are available in English translations. However, if you do have some of the relevant language skills then the course can also be taught using the original texts: contact the Senior Tutor to discuss this.

Epic Tales of Rivalry. Non-European Encounters in Iberian Epic Poetry and New World Plays (1500‒1700)

mlillywhite@middlebury.edu — Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:26:03 +0000

Epic Tales of Rivalry. Non-European Encounters in Iberian Epic Poetry and New World Plays (1500‒1700) CMLT 0020 / SPAN 0020 / PGSE 0020 mlillywhite@mi… Fri, 01/20/2023 - 09:26 Tutorials Comparative Literature Portuguese Spanish Autumn 2023 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2025 Spring 2023 Spring 2024 Spring 2025 Spring 2026

The early modern Spanish and Portuguese literary traditions contain a wealth of epic poems inspired by the classical Greek and Latin epics of the likes of Homer, Virgil and Ovid and by recent historical events related to crusade, conquest, and empire building. There are also a number of Spanish and Portuguese plays by Gil Vicente, Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Ricardo de Turia and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz that deal with the relationship between the Iberian Peninsula and the Spanish and Portuguese colonies in India, Africa, and the New World. Collectively, these works explore aspects of cultural exchange and conflict that arose from the encounters of conquistadors, pioneers and governors with other cultures, races and religions. By choosing to study a selection of these texts, students will explore how early modern Spain and Portugal related to the peoples that they encountered, and they will discuss the multiple perspectives held on issues relating to crusade and conquest. The module aims to challenge some of the long-standing assumptions made about colonization and empire building and re-evaluates the texts through a postcolonial lens where appropriate.

Sample topics:

Race and Religion in Luís de Camões’s Os Lusíadas.
Confrontation between the Portuguese and Ottaman Empires in Jerónimo Corte-Real’s Segundo cerco de Diu.
Patriotism and Sympathy in Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga’s Araucana.
Portrayals of the Indigenous in Pedro de Oña’s Arauco domado.
The Exploits of Hernán Cortés in Gabriel Lasso de la Vega’s Mexicana.
Non-European Encounters in the Final Voyage of Sir Francis Drake in Lope de Vega’s La Dragontea.
European Quarrels in a New World Context in Lope de Vega’s Brazil restituído.
Medieval Religious Conflict in Gaspar García Oriolano’s Murgetana.
Allegory and Symbolism in Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s El divino Narciso.

A good number of the texts to be studied are available in English translations and, therefore, knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese is not a prerequisite for the course. However, if you do have the relevant language skills then it should be taught using the original texts: contact the Senior Tutor to discuss this.

Middle High German