The contemporary Spanish novel is obsessed with Spain’s past. This course traces the development of the novel of memory from a fictional memoir published in 1942 to hybrid (semi-fictional) metafictional novels of the 21st century. We will focus on in-depth analysis of masterpieces from the Franco era, the Transition, and democratic Spain, situating each novel in its historical, sociocultural, literary, and critical contexts. These works are on the MA Reading List for Contemporary Peninsular Literature. Each student also will read and analyze a contemporary Spanish novel independently. This course is a seminar in which graduate students take responsibility for independent contributions to and leadership of the group. Through intensive participation, each individual will hone his or her critical-analytical skills.