Golden Age Literature: Cervantes' representation of the Gypsies.

Description of Unit 2:

Golden Age is on of the most important periods of Spanish literature and one that is studied throughout the last three years of High School. Some of the important titles included in most syllabus are El Quijote by Cervantes and Fuente Ovejuna by Lope de Vega, amongst others.

This course, however, will study a short novel by Cervantes: La Gitanilla. This novel is seldom studied in High Schools in Spain, and still, it raises a very important issue in Spanish society: The treatment of the Gypsies. During this unit, students will learn about Spanish Gypsy culture through the study of literature, popular television and music, as well as the differences between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.

Content of the Primary text:

La Gitanilla by Cervantes tells the story of a "Paya" raised in a Spanish Gypsy community. However, she finally leaves that world for the world of the "Payos" after she falls in love with a nobleman. In the end, the novel reveals that she is, in fact, of noble descend herself, making it possible for the couple to marry.

For a deeper understanding of the novel, students will receive two lectures on history of the period and literary criticism of Golden Age literature, in general, and Cervantes himself. These will take place during the first two sessions of the unit.

Materials: La Gitanilla by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Music from El Mal Querer by Rosalia, Maria de la O 1958 movie, and song by Lola Flores, The Gipsy Kings 2015 reality tv show.

Content of Secondary Sources:

This unit will be focused on the representation of the Gypsies not only in literature but in other media too. The course will explore movies such as María de la O (1958) with Lola Flores based in the"Zarzuela" by the same name.

María de la O was very popular when it was released in Spain and it tells the story of a Gypsy singer that falls in love with a rich man who will ultimately be her downfall. The protagonist rejects the culture of her ancestors and follows her new husband to settle with him away from the nomad life. This movie is starred by the famous singer Lola Flores who was a Gypsy herself and produced Flamenco music that is still very popular in Spain. Her family, all of them famous and successful, are all singers, dancers or actors and actresses.

Another important work that will be analysed is the music of successful singer Rosalia. She became a revolution for Spanish music when she released her album El Mal Querer on 2018. Her music combines traditional Flamenco, a Spanish Gypsy genre, with Trap music. Her videoclips, depicting the culture of Spain in a very progressive way, have sparked both positive and negative reactions. She has also explore other combinations like Flamenco an Reggaeton.

El Mal Querer is inspired by a 13th century Occitan novel, Flamenca, about the unhappy marriage of a young Gypsy woman and her secret relationship with another man. The album dealt with issues such as domestic violence or jealousy. This album, although does not come from a Gypsy woman, has supposed a revitalisation of Flamenco and a newfound interest for Gypsy culture.

Los Gipsy Kings (2015) this is a Spanish reality tv show that follows 5 wealthy Gypsy families in their professional and personal endeavours. However, this tv show has sparked controversy has been criticised by the Gypsy community.

Unit plan:

After an introductory class on the historical events of the Spanish Renaissance and the characteristics of Spanish Golden Age literature. Students will read La Gitanilla at home. This is a very short novel and relatively easy to read. Students will then come to class prepared to class to discuss the content of this novel. The professor will give them the following prompt:

"Parece que los gitanos y gitanas solamente nacieron en el mundo para ser ladrones: nacen de padres ladrones, críanse con ladrones, estudian para ladrones y, finalmente, salen con ser ladrones corrientes y molientes a todo ruedo; y la gana del hurtar y el hurtar son en ellos como acidentes inseparables, que no se quitan sino con la muerte."

This is the first line of the novel and, thus, all the students will be familiar with it, they will then discuss how this sentence is true in the novel and (this is the delicate part) if they have ever seen a sentence, or idea, similar to this one used in real life. This will spark a discussion about the Spanish Gypsy community and culture. The idea is to break the stereotypes that are strongly ingrained in Spanish mentality.

2. The following session will be devoted to discuss the movie Maria de la O, before watching the movie at home, the theme song will be played in class and the lyrics analysed. Students will try to guess the content of the movie. After watching the movie, the discussion will be focused on how the Gypsy community is portrayed in this film, and what aspects of the movie should change to make this a more realistic, positive view of this group.

Next, students will research Lola Flores and her family. Through research, they should find something about their lives or work that they find interesting, positive, or that they admire. They will talk about it in class using a powerpoint presentation.

3. Students will them become familiar with Rosalia's album El Mal Querer. They will listen to the songs at home and decide if they have any connections with Gypsy culture, they will also listen to other flamenco singers, such as Lola Flores and Camaron de la Isla and find similarities in the genre.

After a session on the history of flamenco, which was born of the mixing of many cultures, the lyrics of the song Malamente will be analysed. These lyric were criticised by the Gypsy community and called Rosalia out for cultural appropriation. Students will have to identify which sections of the song were problematic and how can they detect cultural appropriation in pop culture.

Students will write a personal essay talking about Rosalia's role in today's music and if her success is really damaging of Gypsy culture.

4. Lastly, during two of our sessions, there will be a showing of two episodes of The Gipsy Kings, students will take notes while watching the show on what scenes seem unrealistic, controversial or denigrating of the Gypsy community. After watching, the tv show, students will discuss if this is actually a reliable depiction of the Gypsy lifestyle.

5. On one of the final sessions, a representative of the Gypsy association of the town will come in and talk about the Gypsy experience, students will ask questions and hear from a first-hand testimony. It is important to bring in a member of the community that can transmit the essence of their own culture, so that students realise this is not something that only appears on music or television, but that they are member of our community too.

6. The last session will be a reflection on the representation of the Gypsies in different media and how can we find reliable source when trying to learn about a culture that is not our own. There will also be a discussion on the damages of cultural appropriation and stereotyping in the Gypsy community.

Final Project:

Students must choose from one of the following options for the final project of this unit:

Write an essay on cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation taking the artist Rosalia as an example.
Interview someone from the Gypsy association in your town.
After receiving this information, read La Gitanilla again and write a critical essay about the depiction of the Gypsies.
After receiving this information, watch Maria de la O, again and write a new version of the story in which the Gypsy community is realistically represented.
Contact the Gypsy community of your town and respectfully ask if you can participate in one of their traditions, then, write a report.

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