# SPANISH 132 - Latin American Gothic: Literature and Film Semester: Fall | Year offered: 2026 | Link: [Course Website](https://locator.tlt.harvard.edu/course/colgsas-233128/2026/fall/17777) The Gothic has become an inescapable and proliferating presence in contemporary culture. The global expansion of the term, its rather astonishing plasticity, has led experts to distinguish between categories such as Urban Gothic, Rural Gothic, Eco Gothic, War Gothic, Southern Gothic, and Tropical Gothic, among many others. Despite the world-wide nature of the phenomenon, however, the Latin American Gothic tradition still awaits further consideration. When did it make its first appearance and why? What are its chronological or developmental stages? Is it a product of foreign influence, an outgrowth of autochthonous conditions, or a combination of both? How is it related to magical realism, the folkloric legend, and the fantasy tale? How does it unfold in the hacienda or the convent, the jungle or the pampas, the plantation or the mines? How does it address the colonial, state, ecological, cultural, and racial violences that continue to afflict the region? The purpose of the course is to answer these and other pertinent questions through the examination of diverse primary sources (mostly literary works and films) and the theoretical writings of Gabriel Eljaiek-Rodríguez, Roger Luckhurst, and Nick Groom. --- [### Alejandro Quintero Mächler ](/people/alejandro-quintero-machler) Lecturer & Research Scholar Academic Degrees: B.A. in History (Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá), B.A. in Philosophy (Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá), M.A. in Philosophy (New School for Social Research, NSSR), PhD in Latin American and Iberian Cultures (Columbia University in the... ![Alejandro](/sites/g/files/omnuum8296/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-04/foto_ny_1-2.jpg?itok=y1KDCBYS) See also:- [ 70-100 ](/class-categories/70-100) - [ Alejandro Quintero Machler ](/instructor/alejandro-quintero-machler) - [ Spanish ](/language/spanish) - [ Fall 2026 ](/term/fall-2026)