SPAN6640 · Romance Languages and Literatures

Living on the Margins of Society: Picaros, Rouges, Rascals, Thieves and Hustlers

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

Conducted in Spanish. Fulfills the Pre-1800 Peninsular requirement for majors in Hispanic Studies The "picaro" and other subjects living on society's margins emerged during modernity in parallel with the Spanish Golden Age. These subjects personify critical discourses of society and the promise of social mobility. In this course, we will read works where these figures have been used to question the social, political, and economic structures that have marginalized them. We will cover canonical works of Spanish literature, their adoption in Latin America, some contemporary uses, and their presence in cinema and the arts.