According to the arrangement at my department, each of us gets to teach a graduate course every two years. Last time, I taught a course on Golden Age Spanish literature. So now I have to decide what I will teach the next time around.
Here are the possibilities:
1. Contemporary Female Novel in Spain.
2. Spanish Short Story.
3. XIXth century Spanish Literature.
If you could take one of these courses, which one would you prefer? For now, number three is the weakest possibility because I taught this course before and I want more variety on my CV.
Your opinions will be welcome!
Clarissa's Blog 
#1, but #2 would maximize diversity the most, if that’s your goal.
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Contemporary female novel. Really. I think that would be a fascinating class to take, and honestly, if you have suggestions for good English translated editions of these things, I’d love them.
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I would prefer number 3. One prof in Grad School once told me, while I was falling asleep over “El Jarama”: “Spanish Prof, you don’t like this class because you are a ‘lectora decimononica'”. She was absolutely right.
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Well, my friend, who hasn’t fallen asleep over “El Jarama”? 🙂 The novel is hugely boring.
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Confession: I never finished “El Jarama”, but I bet I’m not the only one. I would love to sit at #3, but I understand what you are saying compañera!
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We will soon be able to open the El Jarama-haters’ club. 🙂
In case people have begun to wonder, this is the book we are hating on: http://www.amazon.com/River-Jarama-Dedalus-Europe-1992-2004/dp/1903517176/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314771761&sr=8-2
🙂
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What? There are no reviews on the Amazon site. As a “Top 500” reviewer for Amazon don’t you feel an obligation to at least provide a slight warning to those who might stumble on the book and think about buying it. I suggest something like, “Only buy this book if it is cheaper than a prescription for sleeping pills.” Or, “Only buy this book if it is cheaper than toilet paper.”
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🙂 The book is a classic of contemporary Spanish literature. I blame myself for not getting it. 🙂 I’m a philistine. 🙂
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And “Rabbit Run” is a classic of contemporary American literature. It bored me to tears 49 years ago and every time I tried to read it since. I blame Updike, not me. I have enough toilet paper in my house.
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LOL I tried convincing myself I liked that book for years but then I just gave up. 🙂 Updike is not my writer.
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I have no clue about Spanish literature, but I would probably take the short story course, if I had the time. It somehow sounds like it’d be very entertaining.
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Of the three choices, I would pick the short story because more students might enroll. I think that contemporary feminist novel might turn off some of the males who are at that age are at the height of machodom. OTOH, there is some great Spanish feminist lit.
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That’s exactly what my sister is saying, and she is rarely wrong. 🙂
The short story would also allow me to help the students save money. This is always crucial at our university and especially for a graduate course. Our students are not rich. The times of assigning 10 expensive novels and not thinking about how much they might cost are over for me. 🙂
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How about contemporary poetry? My current favorite is Ana Istarú; very female and very good. I saw her about 18 months ago and she was superb!
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Choose the topic where you’re best at, this will be beneficial to students.
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I’m very good with all the topics. 🙂
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Choose the best. If there’s no best, choose the most interesting topic to you.
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