Semester.ly

Johns Hopkins University | AS.215.336

Don Quijote

3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

(4.23)

Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quijote de la Mancha is widely considered to be the first modern novel of the Western tradition. It has influenced the likes of Nabokov, Sterne, Melville, Dostoyevsky, Flaubert, Borges, Dickens, and Faulkner (who reread it every year), among others. In a recent literary poll of the “100 Best Books of All Time,” in which the aforementioned authors remained unranked and “all on an equal footing,” some of the greatest living writers (Salman Rushdie, Assia Djebar, Herta Müller, Orhan Pamuk, Doris Lessing, Milan Kundera, Amitav Ghosh, Nadine Gordimer, Christa Wolf…) made an exception for Don Quijote, calling it the “best literary work ever written.” To what is such ubiquitous and unparalleled praise due? The purpose of this course will be to read Don Quijote in its entirety and to gain a critical understanding of the major cultural, historical, and political issues at play in the novel. We will seek, on the one hand, to draw out the general or ‘universal’ features that have established its place in the international literary canon while, on the other, to understand these features within the unique context of early modern Spain. By exploring such themes as parody, humor, madness, metafiction, psychoanalysis, chivalric literature, translation, and Moorish culture, the class will establish connections with other disciplines and literary traditions as well. Taught in Spanish.

Fall 2014

(4.0)

Spring 2013

(4.33)

Spring 2014

(4.35)

Fall 2014

Professor: GERMAN AND ROMANCE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

(4.0)

Students found the instructor to be not only knowledgeable, but extremely passionate about the Don Quijote. Additionally, students enjoyed the field trip to the Peabody Library. The worst aspects of the course were the rather lengthy readings and less than clear grading system. In order to improve the course, students suggested a more structured/detailed syl abus. Prospective students should have solid skills in Spanish literature.

Spring 2013

Professor: Harry Sieber

(4.33)

The best aspects of the course were the knowledgeable professor, engaging lectures, and light workload. The worst aspects of the course were the heavy readings and professor led discussions. The students rarely participated in class and the professor dominated most of the conversations. The course would improve if there were more class discussions. Prospective students should expect to do two papers and lots of reading.

Spring 2014

Professor: Harry Sieber

(4.35)

The ful -of-life professor of this course made sure his students were highly entertained and never bored. He was knowledgeable of the subject matter and offered a very deep analysis of the texts. Many students also enjoyed visiting the Peabody library to see the history of the work that they were studying. The assignment of reading two books made students feel rushed and overwhelmed. In addition, the class periods fel on Fridays and students felt this was inconvenient. In order to improve the quality of this course, it was suggested that there be more feedback given on assignments. Prospective students should attain some background knowledge of Spanish literature prior to taking this course because they might miss some of the references.