皇家华人

Module听content and indicative topics听

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鈥楾he great question that has never been answered and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is 鈥淲hat does听a woman want?鈥�.鈥� Sigmund Freud.听

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In this module you will examine Realist and听Naturalist novels听written听in Spain听between 1881 and 1896. Their authors, Benito P茅rez听Gald贸s听and Emilia Pardo听Baz谩n, were two of the leading figures in an unprecedented period of richness and success for the Spanish novel. As you will see, their novels began to absorb听the cutting-edge ideas that were changing European thought in the late-nineteenth century:听Darwinism, Positivism, more enlightened social policy towards the working classes, but above all a growing interest in the psychology and social position of women.听You will also examine how their novels absorbed听the latest stylistic innovations being tried听by writers elsewhere听in Europe and Russia: the proletarian novel, the psychological novel, and,听most notably,听the 鈥楴aturalist鈥� novel听invented by听the French writer听Emile听Zola.听听

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Gald贸s听and Pardo听Baz谩n听were aware that urban life, increased prosperity, and greater social freedom were creating challenges for women that they had not hitherto faced to the same extent. Thought of in basic terms, changes in areas as diverse as clothing manufacture, social policy, and levels of income meant that some women could now go out to work or spent less time tied to the drudgery of domestic labour. Such women had relatively more freedom or leisure than at any time in living memory, and hence more opportunity to pursue their own interests or desires. The novels that听Gald贸s听and Pardo听Baz谩n听wrote in this period reflect on these changes to the social fabric of urban Spain. They also reflect on the fact that, as Spain contemplated introducing genuine democracy for the first time, society needed a better understanding of the very people who would be nurturing the next generation of Spanish voters 鈥� women. Their novels thus set out to explore the psychology of womankind in a variety of settings and scenarios, and adapting to their own ends the techniques of Naturalist writing that Zola had developed.听听

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Set听Texts听

• Benito P茅rez Gald贸s,听La desheredada听(1881)听

• Emilia Pardo Baz谩n,听La Tribuna听(1883)听

• Benito P茅rez Gald贸s,听Tormento听(1884)听

• Emilia Pardo Baz谩n,听Memorias de un solter贸n听(1896)听

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Teaching delivery听

This module will be taught in a combination of lectures and seminars.听Some sessions will feature group work among peers.听

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By the end of the module you should be able to:听

• Identify the听essential features of Realist and Naturalist Novels.听

• Understand the shifting position of women in late-nineteenth-century Europe.听

• Analyse the听depiction of class struggle in the novel.听

• Critique the intervention in public life of Spanish novelists in the late听nineteenth听century.听

• Evaluate the essential features of a variety of novelistic genres.听

• Appreciate the roots of Feminist thought.听

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Recommended Reading听听

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In preparation for the module, we advise reading the following core texts. These can be found in the UCL Library:听

• Jo听Labanyi,听Gender and Modernization in the Spanish Realist Novel听(Oxford: Oxford听University听Press, 2000)听

• William D. Phillips Jr. & Carla听Rahn听Phillips,听A Concise History of Spain听(Cambridge: Cambridge听University Press, 2010), pp. 206-45听

• Geraldine听Scanlon,听La pol茅mica feminista en la Espa帽a contempor谩nea听(Madrid:听Akal, 1986)听

• Mary Vincent,听Spain 1833-2002: People and State听(Oxford: Oxford听University Press, 2007), pp. 9-78听

• 脡mile听Zola,听L鈥橝ssommoir, trans.听by Margaret听Mauldon听(Oxford: Oxford听University Press, 2009)听

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