SPAN 043. Horror y maravilla en el mundo hispano

This course is an introduction to political and ideological uses of the fantastic genre and horror fiction in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Colombia during the Early Modern period. We will study texts such as short stories, novels, poetry, theater, painting, inquisition records, and films. The course examines how texts that blur the lines between the real and the unreal, the natural world and the supernatural can be used as mechanisms of social control that seek to propagate concerns, fears, and stigmas on racial minorities and marginalized groups. Students will learn about the key sociopolitical, religious, and historical contexts of the era that will help us understand how the fantastic and horror fiction engage with their society. We will explore themes such as the world of the witches, monsters and prodigies, religious miracles, and diabolical metamorphoses, or the boundaries between life and death. Students will become familiar with the following terms: horror, fantastic, miracle, magic, diabolical, metamorphosis, and sensationalism. At the end of the semester, students are expected to know how the popular imagination and the fiction of the Early Modern period can help us understand the complex sociohistorical vision of that era.
Taught in Spanish.
Prerequisite: SPAN 022, SPAN 023, the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
Humanities.
1 credit.
Eligible for LALS
Spring 2026. Hernández.
Catalog chapter: Spanish
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/spanish/courses

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