LIT 295: The Cuban Story

Prof Barnett   

 Return to Washington and Lee

Spring 2004: TTh 9-12   

 Return to Prof. Barnett's Page

Class Room: Early-Fielding Memorial Bldg (formerly University Center) Room 200

This course examines the unfolding of XXth century Cuba as a “story” as seen through its translated prose, film, and non-fiction discourses. Beginning with writers, such as Martí, who memorialize Cuba ’s birth to 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 José Martí, Alejo Carpentier, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Miguel Barnet, Cristina García, and Alejandro Hernández Díaz among others.  Shorter anthologized works by: Lezama Lima, Valdés, Novás Calvo, Cabrera Infante, Sarduy et al.  Films by Desnoes, Arenas, Gutiérrez Alea, Hijuelos and Tabío.  All works are in English. Students must contribute to class discussion, write several papers; one or more exams.   Barnett

Course Calendar   

  Course Requirements

Authors and Works   

   Resources in Leyburn and TMC

Selected Texts  

   My Power Point Lectures and misc links

 

   My Picks for Cuban Films

   

   Authors and Works.

Miguel Barnet, Biography of a Runaway Slave
José Martí: Simple Verses (selected poetry)
Alejo Carpentier: The Lost Steps
Cuba : A Traveler’s Literary Companion (anthology)
Fidel Castro (selected speeches)
Che Guevara (selected speeches)  
Tomás Gutiérrez Alea; Strawberry and Chocolate (film)
Cristina García: Dreaming in Cuban
Alejandro Hernández Díaz, The Cuban Mile   
Juan Carlos Tabío: The Waiting List (film)                 

or..... If you look at these works as "chapters" in the Cuban story we'll read them in this order.....

         Columbus and Cipango

Sugar and Slavery
Biography of a Runaway Slave

Independence at last? :
Simple Verses
Nuestra America

Batista, The Mob, and the Search for National Identity
The Lost Steps
Out on the Town with the Mob
“History Will Absolve Me” 

Death or Socialism!
Speeches by Castro and Che
Cuba : A Traveler’s Literary Companion
Strawberry and Chocolate
The Waiting List

“This time next year…”
Dreaming in Cuban
The Cuban Mile

Course Calendar:

Print Version in WORD

 

 

Tue

 

Thur

 

 

  

UNIT ONE:
COLUMBUS and
CIPANGO

UNIT TWO:
SUGAR and
SLAVERY
 

20

Introduction

 

------------

For Thur: Read all Barnet's Biography of a Runaway Slave

22

Biography of a Runaway Slave  

------------

For Tue: Prepare Essay 1, due at class time Tue. Read all Marti's Simple Verses and Martí's "Our America"

 

 



UNIT THREE:
INDEPENDENCE AT LAST?

 

UNIT FOUR:
BATISTA, THE MOB, and the SEARCH FOR NATIONAL IDENTITY

 

27

Simple Verses and  “Our America”

------------------

For next time: Read following stories from Bardach’s A Traveler’s Literary Companion:

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

And Read Selected Texts by Castro and Che Guevara

 And Ragano's "Out on the Town with the Mob" in pdf. format on L:drive

29

Selections from Anthology

 

Texts by Castro 

 

Texts by Che Guevara

and

Ragano’s “Out on the Town with the Mob”

 

------------------

 

For next time: First ½ of Carpentier's The Lost Steps

 

  

4

Lost Steps 

------------------

For next time: Read Carpentier's Lost Steps,  second ½; Prepare Essay 2, due at class time Thur

 

6

Lost Steps 

------------------

For next time Prepare for Exam

 

  

 

UNIT FIVE:
SOCIALISM or DEATH !

11

Mid-Term Examination:   available in TMC from 8-12, 1-5, or 7-10.

------------------

For next time:Read following stories from A Traveler’s Literary Companion: 

--"Havanasis"  p. 1
--“Strawberry and Chocolate” p. 3
--"Paradiso" p. 15
--"In the Cold of the Malecon" p. 24
--"Life on the Rooftops" p. 28
--"My Aunt 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

and

View Strawberry and Chocolate in TMC

 

13

Selections from Anthology:

 

Strawberry and  Chocolate

------------------

 

For next time:Read all García's Dreaming in Cuban

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

UNIT SIX:
"...THIS TIME NEXT YEAR IN HAVANA..."

18

 Dreaming in Cuban 

------------------

For next time:Prepare Essay 3,

View Our House in Havana in TMC

and

Read remaining stories from A Traveler’s Literary Companion: 

--"The Girl Typist..." p. 133
--"Zapata" p. 137
--"Her Mother's House" p. 142
--"Not the Truth, Not a Lie" p. 176
--"Old Rosa", p. 183
--"The Lazarus Rumba", p. 191
--"The Prophet", p. 205
--"We Came All the Way from Cuba....?", p. 209

 

20

Selections from Anthology:

 

Our House in Havana

 

 ------------------

For next time:Read all Hernandez' The Cuban Mile

 

 

  

EPILOGUE:

25

The Cuban Mile 

------------------

 

For next time:View Tabío's The Waiting List in the TMC

27

The Waiting List

------------------

 

For Sat or  Mon: Prepare for Exam

 

 

 

Course Requirements 

3 Essays.(10 each)*................30%
Mid-Term...............................20%
Final Exam..............................30%
Participation / Attendance**....20%

*Essays: a 3 page, critical, subjective reaction to the work  The purpose of the essay is to let you posit your opinions in an organized fashion.   For example, What did YOU get out of the work?  To get you started,  you may want to ask yourself  "why is this work considered to be so important? What does it reveal about Cuba?  How is it unique? in what ways was it appealing to you?"  Remember, although these are subjective, your essay should have organization and not just be a random series of observations and dislikes / likes, etc..   Especially remember that this is not a regurgitation of class discussion.  By the time I finish reading your essay, I should know how carefully you read the work.

Mechanically, papers must be typed, double-spaced, and stapled, with pages numbered or may be returned.  Don't shy away from using quotes when appropriate but avoid lengthy citations (cite PAGE numbers)

**Attendance is mandatory and expected.  Each unexcused absence may result in the lowering of your grade by one letter grade. 

 

My Power Point Lectures

Web resources from other's sites: (Since these links are not in my domain, occasionally some will be inactive.  Please be patient.)

General Resources:

Our Authors: Barnet, Martí, Hijuelos, Carpentier, Lezama Lima, Arenas, García ...

 

  Selected Texts 



Castro: “History Will Absolve Me
Castro: “Second Declaration of Havana”

About Che: Biography or Spanish text Biografía
About Che: Politics
About Che: Camilo Guevara or Spanish text Camilo

Che: Cadres for the New Party
Che: A New Old Interview
Che: Cuban Exceptionalism or Spanish text Cuba, excepción
Che: Guerrilla Warfare
Che: Ideology of the Cuban Revolution
Che: Man and Socialism in Cuba or Spanish text El socialismo y el hombre en Cuba
Che: May Day Speech
Che: Mobilizing the Masses
Che: United Nations
Che: Farewell Letter or Spanish text Carta del Che

Castro:  CNN Interview with Castro
Castro: Castro Speech following 9/11/01

(all Che texts taken from Comandante Che, worth visiting, including video of Castro reading Che's Farewell Letter, available in Dutch, Spanish, and English)


 Resources in Leyburn and TMC


Cuban Films in Leyburn (not on Reserve)

Films produced by ICAIC (Instituto Cubano De Arte E Industria Cinematografica)

 Other:

 
Films in TMC:

Suggested Readings in Leyburn (not on Reserve)

 

Last Updated on 07/18/2006
By Jeffrey C. Barnett
Washington and Lee University