Literature and Popular Culture in Latin America

Latin American cultures were built on the humanistic and intellectual perspectives exposed by José Enrique Rodó and José Martí, among many others, which propose the artistic aesthetic as a social ideal and the spreading of education as a sign of progress. But these cultural and national projects were developed in "the era of mechanical reproduction" and their literary project soon was menaced by the "cultural industry." This course explores the dialogues and tensions between what has been branded as the "lettered" and the "real city" in Latin American societies in a selection of literature, film, television, and popular music. This course will be given in Spanish.