Haysom-Rodriguez, P. orcid.org/0000-0003-3310-7106 (2023) Saramago for Beginners: Reflections on Teaching “Coisas” as an Introduction to Saramaguian Dystopia, Allegory, and Political Critique. Portuguese Literary and Cultural Studies, 38/39. pp. 197-214. ISSN 1521-804X
Abstract
: This essay ofers a rationale and methodology for introducing students to the fction of José Saramago through a lesser-known text: his short story “Coisas,” from the collection Objecto quase (1978), which was taught to frst-year undergraduate students at the University of Nottingham in 2019 and 2020. The article begins by justifying the inclusion of Saramago’s work—and, specifcally, the short story in question—on an undergraduate Lusophone studies syllabus. It is argued that “Coisas” concisely encapsulates Saramago’s key literary themes in approachable and easily digestible prose, while containing both contextually specifc and universally relevant allusions within a form and genre likely to appeal to young adults. Second, the essay outlines and critically refects upon the lesson plans and pedagogical strategies used to teach this narrative in previous years, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, the article suggests some further methods for teaching “Coisas” to Lusophone studies undergraduates and contemplates other pedagogical contexts in which Saramago’s short story might be deployed successfully in the future.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 PETER HAYSOM-RODRIGUEZ. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
Keywords: | José Saramago; short story; pedagogy; dystopia; allegory |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > Spanish & Portuguese (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Sep 2023 10:37 |
Last Modified: | 25 Sep 2023 10:37 |
Published Version: | https://ojs.lib.umassd.edu/index.php/plcs/article/... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Tagus Press |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:203608 |