Approaches to Teaching the Works of Miguel de Unamuno

A central figure of Spanish culture and an author in many genres, Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) is less well known outside Spain. He was a surprising writer and thinker: a professor of Greek who embraced metafiction and modernist methods; a proponent of Castilian Spanish although born in the Basque country and influenced by many international writers; religious yet an early existentialist. He found himself in opposition to both King Alfonso XIII and the military dictatorship of Jose Primo de Rivera, then became involved in the political upheaval that led to the Spanish Civil War.

Part 1 of this volume, Materials, gives information on different editions and translations of Unamuno’s works, on scholarly and critical secondary sources, and on Web resources. The essays in part 2, Approaches, offer suggestions for introducing students to the range of his works–novels, essays, poetry, and philosophy–in Spanish language and literature and comparative literature classrooms.