Span 396: The Cuban Story

This course examines the unfolding of XXth century Cuba as a “story” as seen through its prose, poetry, film, and non-fiction discourses. Beginning with the first European account of Columbus, to insights from slaves, through works which memorialize the nation's birth, to finally more recent writers who question its future, our selected readings attempt to show the development of Cuban society as its own narrative.  Major readings by Francisco Manzano, Miguel Barnet, José Martí, Alejo Carpentier, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Cristina García, and Alejandro Hernández Díaz among others.  Shorter anthologized works by: Guillén, Lezama Lima, Valdés, Novás Calvo, Cabrera Infante, Sarduy et al.  Films by Gutiérrez Alea, Vega, Solás, and Tabío, among others.  Students are required to write extensively, read critically, lead discussion in Spanish, and report on related authors beyond the Latin American canon.

[Readings Alphabetical]    [Readings by Units]   [Resources in Leyburn]

 [Supplemental Materials]    [Daily Class Lectures]     [Class Calendar]  

[Course Requirements]     [Back to Barnett's Page]    [The Cuban Story Main Page]

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     Calendar

§ = .pdf file available on L:drive

Click here for a printer-friendly copy of the Course calendar (Word) -- the Word copy will serve as an initial copy; subsequent change will only be made on the web copy below

Unidad 1: El encuentro -- Colón y Cipango

F/ Sept. 7 Introduction

M/10 Cristobál Colón

§ Leer: Primer viaje / segundo viaje

o

(R) Leer: Los cuatro viajes del almirante y su testamento / Cristóbal Colón ; edición y prólogo de Ignacio B. Anzoáteg,  E114 .C32 1946   (pp. 48-81) 28 de octubre al 5 de diciemre.

Unidad 2: La colonia -- Azúcar y Esclavitud

 W/12 Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Ver: La última cena

M/17 Miguel Barnet

§ Leer: Introducción Cimarron
Leer: Historia de un cimarrón pp. 1- ...

W/19 Miguel Barnet

Leer: Historia de un cimarrón pp. ...-fin

Essay 1 due (Units I and II)

 Unidad 3: Indepedenicia -- ¿por fin?

M/24 José Martí

Leer: Martí, all of Versos Sencillos 
Leer: Martí "Nuestra América"

W/26;  Selections from Bardach; Frank Ragano

§ Leer: “Out on the town with the Mob”
Leer: Bardach,

--"Don Cayetano, the Unreliable," p. 165
--"The Dark Night of Ramón Yendía", p. 61

Essay 2 due on (Unit III)

 Unidad 4: La búsqueda de la voz nacional

 M/1 Nicolás Guillén

Read Guillen's biography and then read carefully Motivos de Son and Cantos para soldados y sones para turistas and Sensemaya (from West Indies, Ltd); Secondly, go to Biblioteca de Voces and listen to (1) Canción de cuna para despertar a un negrito and (2) Two others of your own choosing  

 W/3 Alejo Carpentier

"Viaje a la semilla"

 M/8  Benitez Rojo

§ Leer: “Estatuas sepultadas”

W/10 – reading days

Essay 3 due on (Unit IV)

 Unidad 5: ¡La muerte o el socialismo!

 M/15 Fidel Castro

Leer: Castro La historia me absolverá  (After an initial reading you may consult "History Will Absolve Me")

 W/17 Fidel Castro and Che Guevara 

Leer: Selected speeches by Castro and Che Guevara  (in order as presented, from "Second Declaration..." to "Castro following 9/11/01"
 

M/22 Selections from Bardach

Leer Bardach:

--"Havanasis"  p. 1
--"Paradiso" p. 15
--"In the Cold of the Malecon" p. 24
--"Life on the Rooftops" p. 28
--"My Aunto Leocadia..."p. 35
--"Internal Dialogue..." p. 51
--"My Heroic Birth" p. 56
--"Máscaras" p. 96
--"Thine is the Kingdom" p. 106
--"The Messenger" p. 117

W/24 Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Ver: Muerte de un burócrata

M/29 Selections from Bardach and Our House in Havana

Leer Bardach:

--"The Girl Typist..." p. 133
--"Zapata" p. 137
--"Her Mother's House" p. 142
--"Old Rosa", p. 183
--"The Lazarus Rumba", p. 191

Ver: Our House in Havana

W/31 Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Leer Bardach:

-- Senel Paz' "Strawberry and Chocolate" p. 3 

Ver: Fresa y chocolate

M/5  Juan Carlos Tabío 

Ver: Lista de espera 

W/7 – outside of class:  

Ver una de las siguientes: Humberto Solás Lucia; o Gutierrez Alea, Hasta cierto punto; o Gutierrez Alea, Memorias del subdesarrollo; Gutiérrez Alea Guantanamera, Pastor Vega, Retrato de Teresa)   For ideas see Barnett's Suggestions for Cuban Films

Essay 4 due on (Unit V)

Unidad 6: ¡...Y el próximo año en Havana...!

 M/12 Uva de Aragón

Memoria del silencio

 W/14 Uva de Aragón

Memoria del silencio

 Nov. 19-23 Thanksgiving

 M/26 Cristina García

Dreaming in Cuban 

Unidad 7:  Epílogo

W/28 -- Guest lecture: Prof. Carey, "Beyond Cuba: The Legacy of the Revolution"

M/3 -- Conclusiones pasadas

Leer: Uva de Aragón, “Ni la verdad ni mentira”
Leer: Achy Obejas, "¿Vinimos desde Cuba para que te pudieras vestir así?

W/5 Conclusiones futuras

Leer- Luis Aguilar Leon, "The Prophet", (Bardach p. 205)
Leer: Anónimo, "Carta a Harry Potter"

Ensayo final:  Due during exam week

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Last Updated on 10/15/07 By Jeffrey C. Barnett Washington and Lee University