After contextualizing the narrative prose of the 16th century from a historical-cultural point of view, the course intends to examine the characteristics of the picaresque novel, which marked the golden Spanish literature and which represented an important moment for the growth and development of the narrative genre. The reading and commentary of the anonymous Lazarillo de Tormes, who marked the first appearance, and of Francisco de Quevedo's Buscón will be addressed. A reflection on the genre will also be conducted by proposing the reading of some parts of Guzmán de Alfarache by M. Alemán.

First and second year students will have to read the main text of Spanish fiction, Don Quijote de la Mancha by M. de Cervantes (first year: M. de Cervantes, El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha, second year: Segunda parte del ingenioso caballero Don Quixote de la Mancha), with the relative critical bibliography (first year: M. Socrate, Il riso maggiore di Cervantes, Florence, La nuova Italia, 1998 [only the part on Don Quixote; for non-attending students ALL]; or: A. Ruffinatto, Cervantes, Rome, Carocci, 2002; second year: material uploaded in Moodle).

Third-year students will have to agree with the teacher on the text to be included in the bibliography, and the related critical essays.

Testi:
Lazarillo de Tormes, ed. Francisco Rico, Madrid, Cátedra, 1987 (per la traduzione italiana: Lazarillo de Tormes, a cura di A. Gargano, Venezia, Marsilio editore, 2017)
F. de Quevedo, Historia de la vida del buscón llamado don Pablos, ejemplo de vagamundos y espejo de tacaños, (per la traduzione italiana: Il trafficone, a cura di M. G. Profeti, Milano, BUR, 1990, oppure F. de Quevedo, L’imbroglione, a cura di A. Ruffinatto, trad. e note di M. Rosso, Venezia, Marsilio, 1992);

Miguel de CERVANTES, Don Quijote de la Mancha, ed. J. Jay Allen, o altra edizione spagnola recente.