Modern Peninsular Literatures and Cultures

We study the rich and complex traditions of eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century Spanish literature and culture from a variety of historical and intellectual perspectives. While a focus on language, literature and aesthetics continues to ground our work, we also engage a broad range of theoretical approaches and a unique variety of textualities. This makes both for productive links among our research interests and for a nuanced understanding of the complex factors affecting the relationship between all facets of modern Spanish culture and society. The Modern Peninsular Literature and Culture area encourages theoretical and historical work in all literary genres (prose, poetry, essay, theatre and film). It is committed to exploring the interaction between, and conflicted development of, different national traditions (such as Spanish and Catalan writing). It emphasizes the connections between literary study and other disciplines, such as philosophy, history, political theory, theories of gender, and art history; and it seeks to develop interest and expertise in the modern literary canon of Spain, while enriching and expanding that canon through the incorporation of other significant artistic expressions of modern Spanish culture.