HSS228   Promised Lands   (20 credits)

Description

This unit introduces texts which illustrate particular characteristics of social and cultural change on the Balearic Islands, focussing, for example, on the fate of the Mallorcan 'xuetes' (descendants of Jewish converts) at the hands of the Spanish Inquisition; the satirical treatment of this ethnic group, and a later literary attempt to make amends for the consequences of their distorted historical depiction. The focus on insiders and outsiders is broadened to include both tourists, and islanders during the Civil War, and in exile. Contrasting approaches to gender construction and the treatment of women, and the way satire and irony are used to influence the reader, are also examined.

Reading List