INQ-271 | The Golden Age of Spain

Full Title: The Golden Age of Spain: From Glory to Decadence

Topic Description:

Spain’s political power in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was accompanied by impressive cultural developments in literature and in the arts and is known as its Golden Age. We will study this period principally through selected literary works of different genres observing their formal literary aspects and studying their historical and cultural contexts. Like all great writers, Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, María de Zayas y Sotomayor, and others captured the spirit of their age, but also created works whose characters and themes are relevant regardless of time and place. The literary expression of the Golden Age gives testimony to the vitality and resilience of Spain as it experienced both triumph and decline during the Western early modern period. We will utilize narrative theory to inform our analysis.

Counts as Global? Yes

Topic Approved: October 2011