Linda Metzler came to Kenyon College in 1979 from Rutgers University, where she held a visiting position in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. At the core of her teaching endeavors and her intellectual inquiries lies the Spanish language and the literature, art and music of the Hispanic world — particularly of Spain.
She teaches courses in all levels of language and offers classes in Spanish poetry, novel, film, short story and drama. She has recently devised and taught two new courses focused on works that explore ideas of the nation: "Spain's 'Generation of 1898' and the Quest for a National Identity" and "Family and Nation in Francoist and Post-Francoist Spanish Film." She has served as chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures; director of the Kenyon Intensive Language Model; and director of the Poetry Circuit of Ohio. In 1993, she received the Kenyon College Trustee Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Senior Faculty category.
As a scholarly specialist…
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Linda Metzler came to Kenyon College in 1979 from Rutgers University, where she held a visiting position in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. At the core of her teaching endeavors and her intellectual inquiries lies the Spanish language and the literature, art and music of the Hispanic world — particularly of Spain.
She teaches courses in all levels of language and offers classes in Spanish poetry, novel, film, short story and drama. She has recently devised and taught two new courses focused on works that explore ideas of the nation: "Spain's 'Generation of 1898' and the Quest for a National Identity" and "Family and Nation in Francoist and Post-Francoist Spanish Film." She has served as chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures; director of the Kenyon Intensive Language Model; and director of the Poetry Circuit of Ohio. In 1993, she received the Kenyon College Trustee Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Senior Faculty category.
As a scholarly specialist in the poetry of Spain, she has written essays on Ángel Crespo, María Victoria Atencia, Carlos Edmundo D'Ory, José Hierro, José Ángel Valente and on the "Congresos de Poesía" held in Spain in the early 1950s. Scholarly issues that continue to engage her are: the ways in which apostrophe and dialogue help to constitute the lyric self by bringing into focus the linguistic, cultural and ontological other; the ethical and aesthetic thrust of rhythm and musicality in contemporary Spanish poetry; the intersection of the poetic word, the human voice and history; and the impact on current Spanish cultural production of the evolving relationship among Spanish autonomous communities, the central government, the European Community and the global economy.
Education
1978 — Doctor of Philosophy from Univ Kansas
1971 — Master of Arts from Univ Kansas
1969 — Bachelor of Arts from Univ Kansas, Phi Beta Kappa
Courses Recently Taught
SPAN 111Y
Self and Society: Intensive Introductory Spanish
SPAN 111Y
This first half of a yearlong course is focused on the self in a broader social context for students who are beginning the study of Spanish or who have had minimal exposure to the language. The course offers the equivalent of conventional beginning and intermediate language study. The first semester's work comprises an introduction to Spanish as a spoken and written language. The work includes practice — in both master teacher classes and scheduled sessions with an apprentice teacher — in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and reading materials serve to reinforce communicative skills, build vocabulary and enhance discussion of the individual and community. No prerequisite. Offered every year.
SPAN 112Y
Self and Society: Intensive Introductory Spanish
SPAN 112Y
This second half of a yearlong course is a continuation of SPAN 111Y. The second semester consists of and continued study of the fundamentals of Spanish, while incorporating literary and cultural materials to develop techniques of reading, cultural awareness, and mastery of the spoken and written language. The work includes practice, in both master teacher classes and scheduled sessions with an apprentice teacher, in understanding and using the spoken language. Written exercises and reading materials serve to reinforce communicative skills, build vocabulary and enhance discussion of the individual and community. Prerequisite: SPAN 111Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 213Y
Language and Culture: Intermediate Spanish
SPAN 213Y
This first half of the yearlong intermediate-level language course is focused on language and culture for students who are interested in developing their ability to speak, read, write and understand Spanish. In addition to a comprehensive grammar review, the primary texts chosen for the course serve as a general introduction to Hispanic culture and literature. Other materials include short essays, newspaper articles, films, television series and songs, which together will provide a point of departure for discussions on a range of issues. One additional 50-minute practice session per week, conducted by a language teaching assistant, will be required. Prerequisite: SPAN 111Y–112Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 214Y
Language and Culture: Intermediate Spanish
SPAN 214Y
This second half of the yearlong intermediate-level language course is focused on language and culture for students who are interested in developing their ability to speak, read, write and understand Spanish. In addition to a comprehensive grammar review, the primary texts chosen for the course serve as a general introduction to Hispanic culture and literature. Other materials include short essays, newspaper articles, films, television series and songs, which together will provide a point of departure for discussions on a range of issues. One additional 50-minute practice session per week, conducted by a language teaching assistant, will be required. Prerequisite: SPAN 213Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 321
Literature and Film: Advanced Writing in Spanish
SPAN 321
This course uses literature and film to give advanced students the opportunity to strengthen their ability to write analytically and creatively in Spanish. The course will also have strong emphasis on speaking and reading in Spanish. Works from various literary genres and selected Spanish-language films are among the materials on which class discussion and writing assignments will be centered. To deploy this content, we will use digital technology that supports the acquisition of advanced vocabulary, the development of reading comprehension and writing. A grammar review, focused mainly on typical areas of difficulty, may also be included. Prerequisite: SPAN 213Y–214 or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 322Y
Advanced Grammar, Conversation, and Composition
SPAN 322Y
This course is a continuation of Advanced Grammar, Conversation and Composition. Please see the description for SPAN 321Y. Prerequisite: SPAN 213Y-214Y or equivalent. Offered every year.
SPAN 337
Literature and Popular Culture in Spain
SPAN 337
This is an introductory-level literature and culture course that explores the relationship between artistic expression and popular culture in Spain from the period of the "Transition" (between the Franco dictatorship and democracy) up to the present. Bringing into focus an array of cultural artifacts from literature, film, music and the visual arts, the course looks at complexly rendered depictions of the cultural "other" often marginalized due to ethnicity, gender, class, profession, ideology or language. Among the "others" to be considered are gypsies, flamenco performers, immigrants, working-class women, homosexuals, lawmakers, lawbreakers and residents of the political and linguistic periphery. Among the cultural artifacts to be considered are films by Jaime Chávarri, Montxo Armendáriz, Carlos Saura, and Julio Médem; musical compositions by Camarón de la Isla, "Ketama," "Radio Tarifa," and "Martirio"; and works of fiction by Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, Antonio Lozano and Lorenzo Silva. Our discussions, and paper assignments for the course, will draw on ideas from the field of cultural studies. With the exception of some background readings, all work for the course is in Spanish. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 373
Spanish Short Story of the 20th Century
SPAN 373
Students will read, analyze and interpret selected short stories and works of short fiction by such important 20th-century writers from Spain as Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, Azorín, Gabriel Miró, Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Francisco Ayala, Carmen Laforet, Miguel Delibes, Jorge Campos, Javier Marías, Marina Mayoral, Juan José Millás, Ana María Navales, Soledad Puértolas, Esther Tusquets and Cristina Fernández-Cubas. Close textual analysis will be stressed, and the individual works will be considered in their sociohistorical and literary contexts. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 374
Spanish Poetry of the 20th Century
SPAN 374
The course considers selected poems by such major 20th century Spanish poets as Antonio Machado, Juan Ramón Jiménez, Federico García Lorca, Jorge Guillén, Luis Cernuda, Miguel Hernández, Ángela Aymerich, Gloria Fuertes, José Hierro, José Angel Valente, Ana Rossetti, María Victoria Atencia, Vicente Valero and Luisa Castro. Students will draw on critical, analytical and interpretive skills in reading, discussing and writing about the works studied. The poetry will be related to important social and political realities and aesthetic ideas of different periods in 20th and 21st century Spain. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 376
Family and Nation in Modern Spanish Film
SPAN 376
In 1941, Spaniards saw the debut of a film, "Raza " based on a novel published pseudonymously by the country's recently installed pro-fascist dictator, Francisco Franco. The film, adapted from the novel by the director Sáenz de Heredia, depicts several generations of a conflict-filled Galician family-one strikingly similar to the dictator's own--as they contend with successive Spanish political and social upheavals: the Spanish-American War, the Second Republic and the Civil War. The film, a mouthpiece of Franco's own socio-political policy, posits a family unit based on values of traditional Catholic piety, the sanctity of motherhood and allegiance to the Regime. Beginning with "Raza," this course considers the images of family and of the nation (conjoined or counterpoised, explicitly or implicitly) in selected works of important Spanish filmmakers through the early 21st century. Directors include Juan Antonio Bardem, José Luis García Berlanga, Luis Buñuel, Carlos Saura, Basilio Martín Patino, Jorge Grau, Chus Gutiérrez, Pedro Almodóvar, Iciar Bolláin and Alejandro Amenábar. Students will view the films together (one evening per week, outside of class). Class discussion will center on film analysis enabled by a critical text and supplemented by historical and cultural readings. All viewing, reading, writing and discussion for the course are in Spanish. Please note that some of the films shown will not be available in a version subtitled in English. The course is especially recommended for Spanish and international studies majors. Prerequisite: SPAN 321 or equivalent. Generally offered every three years.
SPAN 391
Academic & Scholarly Achievements
2005
"Radical Musicality and Otherness in the Poetry of Jose Angel Valente." Contemporary Spanish Poetry: The Word and the World. Eds. Sylvia R. Sherno and Cecile West-Settle. New Jersey: Farleigh Dickinson University Press, 2005.
1998
"Imagenes corporales en la poesia de Maria Victoria Atencia."Acercamiento critico a Maria Victoria Atencia. Ed. Sharon Keefe-Ugalde. Madrid: Huerga & Fierro, S.A., 1998.