SPAN 256 Musico-Literary Studies: Hispanic Popular Song
The interrelationship between music and literature dates back to the earliest days of the development of art forms in Western civilization. The very concept of poiesis (to make, create) is intrinsically related to both music and poetry (and by extension, literature). This course deal with only a part of that relationship, as we will examine the links between literature (poetry, drama, narrative and essay) and popular songs in 20th-21st century in the Spanish-speaking world. We will study the way composers of popular songs in Hispanic world took advantage of the rich poetic tradition to set their works to music, turning to authors such as GarcÃa Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Nicolás Guillén, José MartÃ, and Jorge Luis Borge, among so many others. Also, we will analyze drama and narrative (fiction and non fiction) (short stories, novels and essays) in which the presence of popular songs becomes intertwined with the narrative discourse; we will study works such as the novels ¡Que viva la música! by Andrés Caicedo, and Arráncame la vida by MarÃa Angeles Mastreta; short stories by Julio Cortázar and Carlos Fuentes; plays by MarÃa Luisa Medina and VÃctor Hugo Rascón; and essays by Alejo Carpentier and Fernando Ortiz. The thematic unity that will tie this course together is the attention we will devote to songs dealing with the role of individuals as members of society and the critical questions of social and political justice that have been central to the Hispanic world during the studied period. Furthermore, this course will also work on the development of research skills and the application of methodological and theoretical approaches to literary analysis - poetry, drama and narrative - and popular song analysis. No previous knowledge of Spanish or music is required. This course is taught in English.