Rhythm and word: strategies for interpreting poetry and lyrics of Spanish-speaking countries. 3305-RS-SEM-LIC
The objective of the seminar is to familiarize students with the methodology of the selected areas of literary studies and with methods for studying the history of musical genres, as well as to develope their literary criticism. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the course, the basic assumptions of comparative literature and culture will be introduced. It allows us to take into account the phenomenon of intermediality, the meeting and intertwining of American and European culture, as well as globalization processes taking place in mass culture.
Participants will be introduced to selected interpretation strategies such as: close reading, intertextuality, affective aesthetics, drawn from various trends in literary theory (including New Criticism, poststructuralism, affective theory). Interpretive approaches will also include sociocriticism, feminist and decolonial criticism.
The analyzed works will include poetry and songs lyrics from the Spanish-speaking culture, specifically the selected poetic works from the 20th and 21th centuries, as well as examples of lyrics from the rich musical cultural heritage of Spain and Latin America (styles of flamenco, e.g. tientos-tangos, solea, guajira; Creole music, e.g. payada, repentismo, cantadera; urban music, e.g. salsa, calypso, regguetón). These diverse texts will be the starting point for discussing a method of analysis that includes the textual level, the relationship between lyrics and music and visual aspects (music video, visual poetry). Using the tools developed within the framework of the proposed methodological approaches, seminar participants will analyze literary and musical works of their choice, and prepare to write their dissertation in the field of literary, cultural or art studies.
The thematic proposal of the course:
1. Introduction
1.1 Close reading strategy: careful reading of poetry and song lyrics.
1.2 Basics of academic discourse. Methodology of writing a thesis.
2. Intermediality and comparative studies:
2.1 Literature and music: an outline of comparative studies.
2.2 Intermediality: visual poetry, instapoetry, music video.
3. Rhythmic structure and musicality of the text
3.1 Metrical analysis and study of rhythm in poetry on selected examples (Luis Cernuda, Luis Cabrales)
3.2.Rhythmic pattern of lyrics vs.the rhythm of music: selected flamenco style (tientos-tangos, solea, tarantas, seguiriya, guajira)
3.3. Decima in the improvised Creol songs (payada, repentismo, cantadera)
4. Sociocritical perspective: the social dimension of poetic and song texts
4.1 Time of bards: Paco Ibañez, Joan Manuel Serrat.
4.2 Engaged song: Víctor Jara and the ‘Nueva Canción’ Movement.
4.3 Uruguayan Murga: commentary on the political and social situation in carnival form.
5. Intertextuality and interculturality
5.1 Connections between Polish and Spanish poetry (Teresa Soto's "Un poemario")
5.2 "Colorín colorado", or poetic versions of fairy tales (Cecilia Domínguez Luis "Colorín colorado", Gabriela Mistral, "Caperucita roja", "Cenicienta", "Blanca Nieve en la casa de los enanos")
5.3 Literary references in musical works: the conceptual album "El mal querer", by Rosalía and the Occitan "El román de Flamenca".
6. Feminist literary criticism
6.1 Feminist criticism as a strategy for reading poetry: Raquel Lanseros y Ana Merino, "La poesía soy yo. Poetas españolas del siglo XX (1886-1960)".
6.2 Women in the history of flamenco (cantaoras, bailaoras, tocaoras)
6.3 The female figure and her meaning in flamenco lyrics.
7. Decolonial criticism: power, identity, intercultural dialogue
7.1 Reconstruction of the encounter of cultures and the problem of "the place of speech": Teresa Soto, "Crónicas de I."
7.2 Urban music as an expression of identity of successive generations (salsa, calypso, regguetón).
8. Affect theory
8.1 The subject and aesthetics of affect in poetic text (Chantal Maillard, Paloma Chen, Juan Herrero Diéguez, Marcos Nogales)
8.2 Sentimental convention in traditional Latin American musical genres (tango, bolero, guarania)
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
Students will acquire a rudimentary knowledge of the methodology of literary and comparative studies, as well as of history of music genres and methods of their research. They will also be familiar with concepts such as intertextuality, intermediality, interculturality, and will relate them to literary and cultural comparative studies. Students will also possess a basic premises of selected currents of literary theory (structuralism, post-structuralism, feminism, decolonial theory, affect theory) and a general knowledge of selected genres of traditional and popular music of Spain and Latin America and of Spanish-language poetry and song lyrics. They will be able to carry out a metrical and stylistic analysis of poetic texts and interpret them, as well as place wthem ithin a wider literary and cultural context. Students will know basic concepts and principles in the field of intellectual property protection and copyright. K_W01, K_W02, K_W03, K_W04, K_W05, K_W09
Skills:
Students will be able to prepare an original dissertation. They will develop basic research skills embracing the formulation and analysis of investigative issues, choice of method and analytical tools, and elaboration and presentation of their research results in the field of literary/cultural studies or art studies.
Students will be capable of employing academic disourse. They will select, analyse and evaluate information, including the opinions of other authors, as well as apply appropriate argumentation. Analyses of literary works and interpretations of other cultural texts will be carried out in full awareness of their multidimensional character. In addition, students will be able to build up their knowledge and develop their research skills independently, under the guidance of their tutor. K_U01, K_U02, K_U03, K_U04, K_U05, K_U08, K_U010
Social skills:
Students will acquire the ability to listen carefully to other participants, and to take an active part in discussion themselves. They will also be able to select and organize information, and to systematize and critically assess the knowledge they acquire. K_K01, K_K03
Assessment criteria
Teaching methods:
• Flipped classroom
• Presentation
• Discussion
• Introductory lecture
Assessment criteria:
Assessment will be based on attendance (there are 2 unexcused absences allowed), active participation in classes and timely submission of partial work stages. In the second semester students will be presenting specific topics, and summaries and extracts from their dissertations. Ultimately, assessment for the seminar will depend on handing in a completed dissertation on or before the deadline. Details concerning assessment and deadlines will be given during classes.
Using AI tools:
We follow the general URK guidelines, which are given: dokumenty.uw.edu.pl/dziennik/DURK/Lists/Dziennik/Attachments/134/DURK.2023.98.UURK.98.pdf
Bibliography
Bibliography:
Theoretical texts
Ahmed Sara (2010), “Happy Objects”, [in:] The Affect Theory Reader, Melissa Gregg, Gregory J. Seigworth (eds.), Durham/ London: Duke University Press, pp. 29-51.
Ahmed, Sara (2015), La poética cultural de las emociones, trad. Cecilia Olivares Mansuy, México: Programa Universitario de Estudios de Género.
Bassnet, Susan (1998), „¿Qué significa la literatura comparada hoy?”, [in:] Orientaciones en literatura comparada, antologia tekstów pod red. Dolores Romero López, Madrid, Arco Libros, pp. 87 – 101.
Brooks, Cleanth; Warren, Robert Penn (1960), Understanding Poetry, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Burzyńska, Anna, Markowski Paweł Michał (2009), Teorie literatury XX wieku, Kraków: Znak.
Domínquez César, Saussy Haun, Villanueva Darío (2016), Lo que Borges enseñó a Cervantes. Introducción a la literatura comparada, (David Mejía, trans.) Barcelona: Taurus.
Fish, Stanley (1998), „¿Hay algún texto en esta clase?” [in:] Palti, Elías José (ed.), Giro lingüístico e historia intelectual, Buenos Aires: Quilmes.
Friedrich, Hugo (1978), Struktura nowoczesnej liryki. Od połowy XIX do połowy XX wieku, (Elżbieta Felisiak, trans.), Warszawa: PIW.
Guillén, Claudio (1985), „Lo local y lo universal”, [in:] idem, Entre lo uno y lo diverso, Barcelona: Editorial Crítica, pp. 17 – 24. „Lo uno y lo diverso”, [in:] idem, Entre lo uno y lo diverso, Barcelona: Editorial Crítica, pp. 25 – 37.
Hejmej, Andrzej (2013), Komparatystyka. Studia literackie - studia kulturowe, Kraków: Universitas.
Historie i teorie nowoczesnej komparatystyki od szkoły amerykańskiej do biohumanistyki: literatura światowa i przekład (2022), Tomasz Bilczewski, Andrzej Hejmej, Ewa Rajewska (eds.), Kraków: Wydawnictwo UJ.
Kultura afektu – afekty w kulturze: humanistyka po zwrocie afektywnym (2015), R. Nycz, A. Łebkowska, A. Dauksza (eds.), Warszawa: Instytut Badań Literackich PAN.
Pannikar, R. (1989), “What Is Comparative Philosophy Comparing”, [in:] Interpreting across Boundaries. New Essays in Comparative Philosophy, Larson J., Deutsch E. (eds.), Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, pp. 116-136.
Quijano, A. (1992), “Colonialidad y modernidad/racionalidad”, Perú Indígena, 13 (29), pp. 11- 20.
Maillard, Chantal (2019), La baba del caracol. Cinco apuntes sobre el poema, Madrid: Vaso Roto Ediciones.
Medel, Elena (2018), Todo lo que hay que saber sobre la poesía, Barcelona: Ariel.
Montalbetti, Mario (2024), El pensamiento del poema, Pólvora: Santiago.
Nycz, Ryszard (1993), „Intertekstualność i jej zakresy: teksty, gatunki, światy” [in:] idem, Tekstowy świat: poststrukturalizm a widza o literaturze, Warszawa, Wydawnictwo Badań Literackich PAN, pp. 78 – 109.
Remak H. H. Henry (1998),“La literatura comparada: definición y función” [in:] M. J. Vega y N. Carbonell (ed.) La literatura comparada: principios y métodos, Madrid, Gredos, pp.89 – 99. [„Literatura porównawcza jej definicja i funkcje”, [in:] Antologia zagranicznej komparatystyki literackiej (1997), Janaszek – Ivaničková (ed.), Warszawa, Instytut Kultury, pp. 25 – 36.]
Sociocríticas prácticas textuales cultura de fronteras (1991), M.-Pierrette Malcuzynski (ed.), Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi.
Selected literary texts:
Chen, Paloma (2022), Invocación a las mayorías silenciosas, Málaga: Letraversal Poesía.
Domínguez Luis, Cecilia (2020), Colorín colorado, Santa Cruz de Tenerife: Diego Paun Ediciones.
Gutiérrez Carbajo, Francisco (2007), La poesía del flamenco, Córdoba: Almuzara.
Herrero Diéguez, Juan (2025), Cartogrfía de nadie, Madrid: Ediciones Rialp.
Lanseros, Raquel, Merino, Ana (2016), La poesía soy yo. Poetas españolas del siglo XX (1886-1960), Madrid: Visor.
Maillard, Chantal, (2024) Poesía completa (1988-2024), Barcelona: Tusquets Editores.
Mistral, Gabriela (1968), Poesías completas, Madrid: Aguilar.
Nogales, Marcos (2025), Salto de fe, Madrid: Ediciones Rialp.
Soto, T. (2008), Un poemario, Madrid: Ediciones Rialp.
Soto, T. (2020), Crónicas de I., Valencia: Pre-Textos.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: