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COMPLIT 157 – From Type to Self in the Middle Ages

Fall views of Autumn foliage and ivy framing a window and a lion statue in the courtyard of The Center for European Studies

COMPLIT 157 – From Type to Self in the Middle Ages

Semester: Fall
Offered: 2022
Instructor: Luis Girón-Negrón
Meeting Time: W 9:00am-11:45am

It has been argued that the poetic “I” in premodern literatures is not a vehicle for self-representation, but an archetype of the human. The course will examine this thesis against the rise of autobiographical writing in medieval and early modern Europe. Readings include spiritual autobiographies (Augustine, Kempe, Teresa of Ávila), letter collections, maqama literature, troubadour lyric, Hispano-Jewish poetry, pilgrimage narratives, medieval allegories, Dante and the picaresque novel. Theoretical perspectives by Spitzer, Lejeune, Zumthor and DeCerteau.

Course Notes: This course counts for the Romance Studies track in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.

For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.