(in Polish) Śmierć autora: warsztatowa analiza detektywistycznych/fantastycznych opowiadań latynoam 3305-SA-01
The course provides a practical introduction to the academic analysis and interpretation of literary texts. The primary objective of the course is to develop the critical philological, methodological, and linguistic competencies of students. The curriculum combines traditional tools of literary studies with reflection on the evolution of the fantastic and detective genres in Latin American literature — ranging from popular forms to advanced tools of socio-cultural criticism.
The research perspective will be grounded in the context of the contemporary crisis of knowledge and imagination. Literary analysis will serve as a tool for reflecting on the phenomenon of post-truth, the issues of fact-checking, as well as the crisis of the institution of authorship in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Course participants will develop the analytical skills necessary both for interpreting artistic texts and for critical orientation in the modern world.
The reading of literary texts will be situated within the context of contemporary debates in epistemology, posthumanism, and media theory. The starting point for discussions will include concepts found in works such as:
• The Epistemology of Fake-News (2021),
• The Posthuman (R. Braidotti),
• Welcome to Postnormal Times (Z. Sardar).
The central point of reference in the literary sphere will be the work of Jorge Luis Borges and key trends in 20th- and 21st-century Latin American prose.
The course is conducted in a workshop format. The teaching framework relies on the method of close reading and differential reading of short narrative forms. This methodological choice aims to cultivate a habit of critical reading that goes beyond superficial observations and resists the simplifications characteristic of contemporary mass media. The discussion-based nature of the classes allows for the reconstruction of key philosophical and literary concepts (such as “cognition”, “truth”, “reality”) in an accessible manner, directly embedded in the fabric of the text.
Course content / Specific topics
As part of the analysis of selected works, detailed reflection will be given to the following issues:
• Author vs. narrator, the specific nature of autofictional strategies.
• The ontological status of the represented world: the fluidity of boundaries between literary fiction and reality; representations of possible and impossible events.
• Narrative strategies: the cognitive function of the unreliable narrator trope.
• The methodology of investigation as an interpretive model: the process of text interpretation under conditions of data scarcity or uncertainty.
• The hermeneutics of excess: the problem of interpretive strategies in the face of information overload.
• Socio-cultural context: the construction of social roles, as well as the reproduction and deconstruction of cultural stereotypes in genre literature.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Learning outcomes
THE STUDENT KNOWS AND UNDERSTANDS:
basic methods of analysis of Spanish-language literary works, including close reading techniques, with a particular focus on short stories by contemporary and 20th-century Latin American authors and the mechanisms of using the conventions of the detective and fantastic genres as critical tools (K_W02);
basic terminology, the subject and directions of research covering the following areas of fields of science and scientific disciplines appropriate for Iberian studies: critical text analysis, analysis of literature in the context of posthumanism and post-truth, the evolution of the fantastic and detective genre from popular entertainment to a tool of socio-cognitive criticism, the analysis of the short story as a genre and its role in Latin American literature, elements of poetics, and cultural transformations related to new technologies (K_W03);
THE STUDENT IS ABLE TO:
read with understanding diverse literary texts in Spanish, including contemporary and experimental short stories, reconstructing and deconstructing genre structures (the fantastic, detective fiction) used by authors as analytical tools, and examine their linguistic and narrative layers (K_U01);
present their own views, interpretations, and conclusions, discuss and present prepared topics in Spanish using the perspective of detective and fantastic literature for critical reflection on contemporary reality and the crisis of knowledge (K_U02);
recognize different types of Spanish-language texts, place them in a general and current historical-cultural context, and conduct their critical analysis, identifying the subversive and critical functions of fantastic elements and literary investigative strategies using basic terminology and appropriate methods (K_U03);
independently acquire knowledge and develop interpretive skills using appropriate scientific and literary sources (dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, source texts, monographs, as well as digital materials and artificial intelligence tools) (K_U04);
THE STUDENT IS READY TO:
critically evaluate their own knowledge and skills, reflect on the methods of text interpretation (including treating the interpretive process as a critical investigation based on uncertain data), analyze their own cognitive and cultural biases, as well as consciously and responsibly use artificial intelligence tools in the process of interpretation and content creation; understands the need for continuous self-improvement and expansion of humanistic competences (K_K01);
plan and organize individual and team work during analytical and interpretive workshops, as well as adhere to the principles of academic and intellectual ethics, including a critical approach to results generated by digital technologies (K_K02);
actively participate in Hispano-American culture, especially literary, using various forms and media (including digital ones), as well as cooperate effectively in a group, performing various roles in the process of creative, reflective, and critical analysis utilizing literary cognitive tools (K_K03).
Assessment criteria
Teaching methods:
Mini-lectures introducing theoretical concepts
Group work, think-pair-share
close (differential) reading
Discussion
written assignments (group or individual) on the Classroom platform, without the use of artificial intelligence;
critical confrontation with AI-generated material
Assessment criteria:
Continuous assessment based on completion of assignments.
To pass the course, the following are required:
class attendance (2 unexcused absences allowed). Absence from 50% or more of the total number of classes prevents passing the course;
systematic preparation for classes, active and constructive participation in discussions, completing assigned written work in class and on the Classroom platform.
Information about points for graded assignments will be made available through Classroom. The grade will be awarded based on the average number of points collected.
The use of AI tools is not allowed in interpretive written assignments.
Bibliography
I. Literary Texts and Anthologies
* The selection of texts may be subject to modification following consultation with students, depending on the interests of the course participants.
Barragán, L. C., “Simbiosis”, in: Parásitos perfectos.
Bioy Casares, A., Borges, J. L., Ocampo, S., Antología de la literatura fantástica.
Bolaño, R., “El retorno”, in: Putas asesinas.
Bolaño, R., “El Viaje de Álvaro Rousselot”, “El policía de las ratas”, in: El gaucho insufrible.
Borges, J. L., “Borges y yo”, in: El hacedor.
Borges, J. L., “La biblioteca de Babel”, in: Ficciones.
Borges, J. L., “La muerte y la brújula”, in: Ficciones.
Borges, J. L., “Pierre Menard, el autor del Quijote”, in: Ficciones.
Enriquez, M., “Bajo el agua negra”, in: Las cosas que perdimos en el fuego.
Herrera, Y., “Zorg, el autor de El Quijote”, in: Diez planetas.
Nieva, M., “Ciencia ficción capitalista” (excerpt).
Paz Soldán, E., “La vía del futuro” (selection).
VV.AA., López Pellisa, T. & R. Ruiz Garzón (2019), Insólitas: Narradoras de lo fantástico en Latinoamérica y España, Páginas de espuma (selection).
II. Theoretical, Critical, and Contextual Texts
Barthes, R. (1984), “La muerte del autor”, in: R. Barthes, El susurro del lenguaje. Más allá de la palabra y la escritura (pp. 65-71), Paidós.
Bernecker, S., Flowerree, A. K., & Grundmann, T. (eds.) (2021), The Epistemology of Fake News, Oxford: Oxford Academic.
Bottou, L., Schölkopf, B. (2023), “Borges and AI”, Arxiv, https://arxiv.org/abs/2310.01425.
Harsin, J. (2018a), A Critical Guide to Fake News: From Comedy to Tragedy, Pouvoirs, 164(1), 99–119, https://doi.org/10.3917/pouv.164.0099.
Jahshan, P. (2026), “Borges, Simulation, and the Coming of Artificial Intelligence”, Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 67(2), 306–321, https://doi.org/10.1080/00111619.2025.2465341.
Pluta, N. (2012), La sombra del crimen. De la influencia del género criminal en la narrativa hispanoamericana en el cruce de los milenios, Kraków.
Raley, R., Samolsky, R. (2024), “Borges and AI”, Poetics Today, 45 (2): 283–290, https://doi.org/10.1215/03335372-11092911.
Roas, D. (2011), Tras los límites de lo real: Una definición de lo fantástico, Páginas de espuma.
Sardar, Z. (2010), “Welcome to postnormal times”, Futures, 42, 435–444, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2009.11.028.
Sardar, Z. (2020), “The smog of ignorance: Knowledge and wisdom in postnormal times”, Futures, 120, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2020.102554.
Todorov, T. (1991), Tipología de la novela policial, (S. Hopenhayn, Trans.).