California State University, Fresno

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Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures

 

Dr. Ted L. Bergman

Associate Professor (Spanish)

MA Advisor
Office: Peters Business Building, Room 334
Phone: (559) 278-4056 | FAX: (559) 278-7878
email: tbergman@csufresno.edu

MCLL Resident
Spanish Advisors

EDUCATION

PhD       
Princeton University, Romance Languages and Literatures, 2001

MA          
Princeton University, Romance Languages and Literatures, 1998

BA          
Wesleyan University, Spanish, 1992.
Includes one year of study abroad in Madrid, featuring classes in Spanish literature, history, film, and religion

PhD DISSERTATION
The Art of Humor in the Comedias and Teatro Breve of Calderón de la Barca
Dissertation Directors: Alban K. Forcione, Ronald E. Surtz

This dissertation is a study of the relationship between the comedia and so-called "minor genres": jácaras, mojigangas and entremeses. These overwhelmingly comic pieces appear, in modified form, in Calderón's comedias. By examining how the playwright mixes genres thought to be quite distinct, readers, I argue, are able to gain a better grasp of the elusive art of making people laugh, and thus have better access to and a better understanding of such concepts as satire, parody, burlesque, decorum, generic conventions, tragicomedia, and deleitar aprovechando, as well as many of the fleeting or more obscure aspects of Spain's social history, which only survive in jokes and their literary manifestations.

PUBLICATIONS

The Art of Humour in the Teatro Breve and Comedias of Calderón de la Barca, London: Tamesis Books, 2003.
• "La autocensura y los limites de la satira en las comedias de Calderón," in Calderón 2000: homenaje a Kurt Reichenberger en su 80 cumpleahos : actas del congreso internacional, IV centenario del nacimiento de Calderón, Universidad de Navarra, septiembre, 2000, Kurt Reichenberger and Iganacio Arellano, eds., Kassel: Edition Reichenberger, 2002.

ACADEMIC AWARDS AND HONORS

Modern Humanities Research Association Publications Fund award (£1000 [$1,650]) to assist in the publication of The Art of Humour in the Comedias and Teatro Breve of Calderón de la Barca, summer 2003
• Armstrong-Foulet Dissertation Completion Grant, Fall 2000
• Fellowship for Social Sciences and Humanities, for research at the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid, Summers of 1998 and 2000
• Mellon Foundation Fellowship, Summer 1997
• Bergman 2

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Assistant Professor:

  • SPAN 222, Cervantes, Fall 2004, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, California State University, Fresno
  • SPAN 118, Composition, Fall 2004, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, California State University, Fresno
  • SPA 440, Spanish Theater, Spring 2004, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • PA 202, Intermediate Spanish II, Spring 2004, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • SPA 201 & 202, Intermediate Spanish I & II, Fall 2003, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • SPA 201 Intermediate Spanish I, Spring 2003, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • SPA 202 Intermediate Spanish II, Spring 2003, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • SPA 302 Introduction to Hispanic Literature and Culture, Fall 2002, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • SPA 101 Elementary Spanish I, Fall 2002, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America
  • SPA 102 Elementary Spanish II, Fall 2002, Program in Language and Culture, Soka University of America

Visiting Lecturer:

  • SPAN-357 Humors Good and Bad: Parody, Satire, and the Burlesque in Spain's Golden Age, Spring 2002, Department of Romance Languages, University of Pennsylvania
  • SPAN-219 The Context(s) of Hispanic Civilization, Fall 2001, Spring 2002 Department of Romance Languages, University of Pennsylvaniav
  • SPAN-219 The Context(s) of Hispanic Civilization, Fall 2001, Fall 2001 Department of Romance Languages, University of Pennsylvania
  • SPAN-214 Advanced Spanish Composition, Fall 2001, Department of Romance Languages, University of Pennsylvania

Instructor:

  • SPA 108 Advanced Spanish, Spring 2001, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Princeton University
  • SPA 207 Studies in Spanish Language and Style, Fall 1999, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Princeton University
  • SPA 107 Intermediate Spanish, Fall 1998, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Princeton University
  • SPA 101 Beginner's Spanish, Spring 1997, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Princeton University
  • SPA 102 Beginner's Spanish, Spring 1997, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures, Princeton University

Teaching Assistant:

  • SPAN 101 Elementary Spanish, Fall 1994, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Wesleyan University

PANELS AND CONFERENCES ORGANIZED

  • “Lawmakers and Lawbreakers in the Art and Literature of Early Modern Spain.”
  • “RSA Annual Meeting,” Cambridge, UK, April 7-9, 2005

CONFERENCE PAPERS

  • "The Combined Role of Laughter and Violence in Spain's Golden Age Theater." "Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association Annual Conference," Scripps College, Claremont, California, November 7-9, 2003.
  • "Original Gangsters: Urban Crime and Popular Song in Early Modern Spain." "Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies Annual Conference," Newport Beach, October 23-26, 2003.
  • "True Crimes and Bad Literature: Historicity, Causality and Exemplarity and the Caso/Suceso in Early Modern Seville." "Renaissance Society of America Annual Conference," Colony Hotel, Toronto, March 27-29, 2003.
  • "El narco-corrido moderno y la jacara anti gua: criminalidad, canto y humor en el barroco y hoy." "VI Congreso de la Sociedad Internacional de los Estudios del Humor LusoHispano," Universidad de Guadalajara, September 26-28, 2002.
  • "When is a Joke not a Joke?: Studying Humor and the Lack Thereof in the Comedia." "Fifth Conference of the International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies," Loyola University of Chicago, September 27-29, 2001.
  • "La autocensura y los limites de la satira en las comedias de Calderón." "Calderón 2000," Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, September 18-23, 2000.
  • "Laughter, Violence, and Calderón de la Barca in the 'Siglo de Barro'." "Parody, Satire, Irony, Laughter and the Grotesque: Humor in Latin American, Peninsular, Luso-Brazilian and Chicano/a Literatures," Arizona State University, Tempe, October 7-9, 1999.
  • "Searching for Entremés Elements in the Quijote." "Third Annual Conference of the International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies," Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, October 1-3, 1998.
  • "What's so Funny about Calderón de la Barca?: Studying Humor in the Theater of Spain's Golden Age." "Renaissance and Early Modern Colloquium," Princeton University, New Princeton, New Jersey, December 1, 1998.

TEACHING INTERESTS AND CURRENT PROJECTS

16th-17th century Spanish literature and culture; 20th century Latin American literature and culture; Humor Studies; Satire and lawlessness (from the Spanish jácara to the Mexican corrido); Borges in the context of detective fiction and the gauchesco; 16th century Jesuit entertainment spectacles, English translation of Velez de Guevara's El diablo cojuelo, Spanish translation (in collaboration with Prof. Paul Firbas of Princeton University) of William D'avenant's The Cruelty of the Spaniards in Peru. Electronic searchable text edition of the 18th-century Diccionario nuevo de las dos lenguas espanola e inglesa.

ACADEMIC SERVICE

Current:

  • Representative to the Executive Committee from Foreign Languages and Literatures at California State University, Fresno

Previous:

  • De facto co-coordinator of 1st  and 2nd year Spanish courses, as well as Spanish language table coordinator and facilitator, Study Abroad, Library/IT and Art Gallery Committee member at Soka University of America.
  • Co-organizer of the inter-departmental Princeton Renaissance and Early Modern Colloquium continuing series of talks, 1999-2000 academic year. Visit the website at http://www.princeton.edu/-renaiss/events/

PROFESSIONAL AFILLIATION

  • Modern Languages Association
  • Renaissance Society of America
  • International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies
  • Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association

LANGUAGES

  • English (native fluency)
  • Spanish (near-native fluency)
  • Swedish (native speaking, good reading knowledge)
  • Japanese (research tool)