Los raros: Alternative Hispanic Fiction

In this course we will analyze fiction by authors often described as “raros” (“strange”). “Los raros” is a category coined by poet Rubén Darío and later adopted by critic Angel Rama and others to designate a “secret society” of peripheral and imaginative writers who have spawned unclassifiable, experimental, sometimes dreamlike, always revolutionary texts. We will delve into the narrative worlds of “raros” (Bellatin, Hernández, Levrero, Somers, Vila-Matas, etc.) and articulate the threat that “rareza” poses to dominant notions of identity, normality, sanity, and coherence. (Two Spanish courses at the 0300-level or above, or waiver) 3 hrs. lect./disc.