Gil Vicente: The India Play

3 Outubro 2017, 10:00 • Helena Carvalhão Buescu

Presentation of the author and historical contextualization (both spatial and temporal).

Description of the play as a discourse of criticism and derision: its structure, the (i)moral values it portrays (ambition, materialism, violence, deception and non-religiousness) and the ways in which it condemns the collonial state. 

Connection with other authors such as Luís de Camões, whose epic poem also presents a tension between "glory" and "downfall"; and Edward Saïd's postcolonial concept of "contrapuntal reading".

Troubadour Poetry: Songs of love, Songs of mockery and slander

28 Setembro 2017, 10:00 • Helena Carvalhão Buescu

Reading and discussion of 3 (three) Cantigas de amor (Songs of love): "Song about the Pain of Love and Sea"; "Song in Provençal Style"; "Song about Provençal Style" and 2 (two) Cantigas de escárnio e maldizer (Songs of mockery and slander): "Song to a Learned Abbess"; "Song for an Ugly Lady".

Notions about formal virtuosity and rhyme schemes; exploration of frequent metaphors and idealized conceptions; parody and subversion.

Troubadour poetry: Songs of the lover

26 Setembro 2017, 10:00 • Helena Carvalhão Buescu

Formal, contextual and thematic distinction between Cantigas de amigo (Songs of the lover), Cantigas de amor (Songs of love) and Cantigas de escárnio e maldizer (Songs of mockery and slander).

Reading and discussion of 4 (four) Cantigas de amigo (Songs of the lover): "Song for a Sleeping Lover"; "Song for a Sleepless Night"; "Seven Songs for a Beloved in Vigo" and "Song for an Unarriving Lover". 

Eight Centuries of Portuguese Literature: An Overview

21 Setembro 2017, 10:00 • Helena Carvalhão Buescu

Discussion of Helder Macedo's article "Eight Centuries of Portuguese Literature: An Overview": a cronological presentation of Portuguese Literary History; multiplicity of literary genres; recurrence of mythical figures and running trends between anachronistic texts; correlation between Literature and History. 

Indication of topics to consider throughout the semester: exile and migration; travel literature; tension between authority and critique; questioning of Portugal's national identity; tension between outside and inside.

Introduction

19 Setembro 2017, 10:00 • Helena Carvalhão Buescu

Presentation of course policies and grading system.