FL 380
AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE "BOOM":
MODERN LATIN AMERICAN PROSE FICTION
SPRING 2001

Course Objectives:

Fl 380 will cast light on the well-known phenomena of the "boom," stretching from approximately the beginning of the 1960s into the early 1970s and its critical reception and aftermath known as the "postboom." This period has received much critical study and publicity during the last four decades. It was during this era that such monumental and original works as Hopscotch (1963) by Julio Cortázar of Argentina and One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967) by the Colombian Gabriel García Márquez dazzled critics and readers internationally. A new public began reading Spanish American narrative for the first time in a spirit of discovery.

During this same period, the international reading public also encountered predecessors of the boom, the pioneers of this "new narrative" (1940 onward) such as Alejo Carpentier of Cuba, and Juan Rulfo of Mexico. It also meant the return to the spotlight by the Argentine Jorge Luis Borges, whose short stories written between 1936 and 1954 gave him international fame and influenced the boom writers so strongly.

Required readings for the course:

We will proceed in a chronological manner, incorporating critical works to enlighten deeper meanings of the texts. The readings combine novels and short stories, and other works by the authors might be mentioned and/or examined:

Jorge Luis Borges, From Labyrinths (1962) "The Circular Ruins" (1944) and "Borges and I" (1960)

Alejo Carpentier, The Lost Steps ( 1953)

Juan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo (1955)

Carlos Fuentes, The Death of Artemio Cruz (1962)

Julio Cortázar, Hopscotch (1963)

Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred years of Solitude (1967)

Manuel Puig, Kiss of the Spider Woman (1976)

Course Grading and Assignments:

A short paper (3 pages) will be written about four of the novels (The Lost Steps, Pedro Paramo, Hopscotch, One Hundred Years of Solitude), focusing on a particular aspect to be decided by the professor. Each paper will be due a week after completion of reading and class discussion on each of the novels.

A midterm exam and a final exam will test the students' knowledge of the six novels and two short stories, and the social and political reality they represent. I consider these exams an opportunity to synthesize various issues that arise out of class discussions, readings, and/or my own presentations of material.

A research paper will be written by the end of the semester, which will explore more in detail one of the novels read in class. The aspect(s) covered in this paper will be decided by the student, after consultation with the professor. I will give direction on the research paper, but I want it to be a culmination of literary analytic skills and basic historical research. It will be turned in the day scheduled for the final exam.

Each student will do an oral presentation to present the preliminary work done for their final research paper to the rest of the class. It will include information on the novel selected, the specific aspect or topic chosen to reflect upon, the theoretical approach taken, and information on the critical works included to contrast or support one's views on the subject. It will be no longer than five minutes, and no written materials (other than titles and references to critical works) will be allowed at the time of the presentation.In addition, an annotated bibliography of the research materials selected to support the paper's thesis will be turned in at the time of the oral presentation. This bibliography will be no longer than three pages and it will include a complete bibliographic reference of the works being used, and a summary of the ideas expressed in it, as well as the student's reaction and commentary.

Attendance and participation is an essential part of this course. Each student will be expected to attend all classes and actively participate in all discussions. There will also be in class, peer review sessions in order to give constructive comment and feedback on each other's work.

Class Participation Guidelines:

Discussion and deliberation are essential to this course because it is through these activities that we will have the opportunity to pursue answers to questions raised by the readings and to respond helpfully to each other's presentations and views. Working together, we will learn from one another, listen to other's perspectives, and build on one another's ideas. We can only know your ideas, perspectives, and opinions if you express them. Learning is a social activity, and several minds are better than one when it comes to thinking about the issues before us. For this reason, we will all benefit from this course to the extent to which each of you participates in our discussions. Remember that it is the quality, not the quantity, of what you say that matters.

Students who receive an "A" for participation typically come to every class having read and thought about the material. They participate regularly and productively in both full class and small group discussions. In short, an "A" student does not passively wait to be asked a question--they are active and responsible members in the discourse community of the class.

A student who receives a "B" for his or her participation has completed all the reading assignments on time, but does not always come to class with questions in mind, or having considered the readings carefully. Rather, this student waits passively for others to raise interesting issues and examples-he or she participates, but sporadically.

"C" students are largely passive students. They attend class and listen attentively to the discussion, but rarely participate unless directly asked a question.

A student who receives a grade lower than a "C" is unprepared, unwilling to participate, and unable to answer questions when called upon. Attendance Policy: There are no excused absences. You can miss class three times without penalty. Every absence after three will substract one percentage point from your final grade. This includes illness, family emergencies, early departure for vacations, sports outings, etc. Three tardies equal one absence. Tardies include late arrivals and early departures.

Academic Honesty:

The University of Puget Sound values and respects academic honesty. If you are unclear as to what academic honesty entails please refer to pages 34-40 in The Logger.