Classy & Fabulous

I realized that I've written a lot about big events like my weekend travels, but not as much about day-to-day activities at the Fundacion Ortega y Gasset, my classroom building.

In an earlier post I listed my 5 classes, but I switched one since then. Here is the final list of my classes, and a teaser for each...

Recent Spanish Film
Actually quite interesting, I'm learning so much about Spanish culture and history from this class. We saw one film actually written by Francisco Franco himself (dictator of Spain from 1930s-1975, his influence is still strongly present in Spanish culture, even in the present-day backlash against him), as well as others. Unfortunately Spanish film reflects the moral permissiveness of European culture, and films like "La Belle Epoque" and "Cria Cuervos" were slightly troubling.
Interesting Fact: Apparently European culture is far more tolerant of on-screen sexuality, but adverse to on-screen violence, while American films are much more violent but less tolerant of sexual images.

Theatre of the Spanish Golden Age
A very enjoyable class, where we're reading short plays by Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and others. We will also attend a theater production in Madrid. Regular class meetings are interspersed with days for debate/discussion- we had our first one today, and it was hilarious. One group presided as judges while my group defended the old husband in "El Viejo Celoso" and another group argued the case of his young wife, Lorenza, in her decision to delude him. Not surprising for Notre Dame, people became very animated in their use of obscure Catholic doctrines to defend both sides.

Survey of Spanish-American Literature
Though the sweet young profesora seems a bit frazzled, I've been excited to read first-hand accounts of the discovery of America, including the diaries of Bernal Diaz de Castillo, Cabeza de Vaca, and Columbus himself. Those of you who read the Sevilla Bloopers know my great devotion to my country's discoverer.

Spanish Mystical Theology
We're starting with an overview of early philosophers and relating them to 15th and 16th-century Spanish mystics. This means I get to read Plato in Spanish. Cha-ching. We're also reading Teresa of Avila's entire "Interior Castle" ("Las Moradas") over the course of the semester- in Spanish. Be jealous, Sem III.

Textual Analysis
Another reading-based class... we're familiarizing ourselves with various Spanish and Hispanic authors. So far we've read up on a lot of Toledo folklore, which gives new meaning to parts of the city. We're also reading the Nobel Prize-winning book Cronica de una muerte anunciada (Chrinicle of a Death Announced) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez over the entire semester, of course in Spanish. It's brilliant thus far, really well-written. We're also examining several short stories, including Manuel Rivas' bittersweet tale "La Lengua de Las Mariposas" (The Tongue of the Butterflies).