Catalan Literary and Cultural Movements: From Romanticism to Modernity
Romanticism: Individualism and National Identity
Romanticism emphasized the importance of the individual, extolling sentiments, and advocating for freedom and the historical personality of each nation.
The Renaissance: Catalan Literary Revival
The Renaissance period in literature is known for its significant cultural shifts. The Catalan cultural Renaissance, following a period of decline, was a movement focused on the revitalization and recovery of the Catalan language, history, and literature.
Jocs Florals: Medieval Poetic Competitions
The Jocs Florals (Floral Games) were a type of poetic competition originating in the Middle Ages. Key themes addressed included homeland, faith, and love.
Jacint Verdaguer: Priest, Poet, and National Figure
Jacint Verdaguer was a priest who spent two years as a ship’s chaplain in the Atlantic, an experience that led to conflict with the church hierarchy.
Verdaguer’s Poetic Works:
- Epic Poetry:
- L’Atlàntida: A hermit recounts the sinking of Atlantis to Columbus.
- Canigó: Considered the great Catalan national epic.
- Patriotic Poetry: Showcased the exaltation of Catalonia as a nation.
- Religious Poetry: Primarily aimed at the working classes.
The Valencian Renaissance: Literary Movements
The Valencian Renaissance saw the defense of the revival by the Catalan bourgeoisie.
Key Poetic Movements:
- “Poets of the Espadrille” (Poetes de l’Espardenya): Advocated for the use of the Valencian dialect as it was spoken. Notable figure: Eduardo Escalante.
- “Poets of the Glove” (Poetes de Guant): Represented by Teodor Llorente, whose poems featured sentimental landscapes.
Legal Status of Valencian: History and Current Framework
With the advent of democracy in Spain, a new legal framework for the various languages of the Spanish State was established. The Valencian language had been banned in official and formal contexts since 1707 with the Decree of Nueva Planta.
The Spanish Constitution states that Spanish is the official state language, and all Spaniards have the duty to know and use it. The Valencian Statute of Autonomy declares Valencian as the official language of the Valencian Community, alongside Castilian Spanish. All citizens are expected to know and use both.
Popular Theater: Reflecting Everyday Language
Popular theater gained significant acceptance among the working classes. It championed the use of colloquial language, including Castilianisms and vulgarisms, reflecting the speech of ordinary people. Notable figures include Bernat i Baldoví and Eduardo Escalante.
Cultured Arts: The Evolution of Àngel Guimerà’s Drama
Cultured arts employed an educated language and explored a variety of complex situations. Àngel Guimerà was the most representative author, and his work can be divided into three distinct stages:
- Stage 1: Romantic Tragedy
- Principal features included human passion and internal conflicts of characters. Examples: Terra Baixa (Lowland) and Mar i Cel (Sea and Sky).
- Stage 2: Full-Scale Drama
- Approached more everyday problems, dominated by Realism.
- Stage 3: Attempts at Modernity
- Sought to incorporate new Naturalist and Realist trends.
In Terra Baixa, the central theme is a possessive passion leading to an extreme situation. The theme of Mar i Cel is the impossible love between a Muslim pirate and a Christian girl.
Dialectal Division: Understanding Linguistic Variation
A dialect is a particular way of speaking a language, varying according to the speaker’s origin; it is synonymous with a linguistic variety. Valencian is the way we speak it in Valencia.
Catalan-speaking territories are divided into two main parts by an imaginary vertical line.
Elements of the Novel
Key Elements:
- Characters: Includes protagonists and secondary characters.
- Setting/Spaces: Can be real, evoked, or imaginary.
- Time: Refers to the moment or duration of the action.
Catalan Verb Conjugation: An Overview
This section outlines common verb tenses, using “cantar” (to sing) as an example, though the original suffixes are highly garbled.
Indicative Mood:
- Present: (e.g., canto, cantes, canta…)
- Perfect: (e.g., he cantat, has cantat…)
- Imperfect: (e.g., cantava, cantaves…)
- Pluperfect: (e.g., havia cantat, havies cantat…)
- Simple Past (Preterite): (e.g., cantí, cantares…)
- Periphrastic Past: (e.g., vaig cantar, vas cantar…)
- Future: (e.g., cantaré, cantaràs…)
- Conditional: (e.g., cantaria, cantaries…)
Subjunctive Mood:
- Present: (e.g., canti, cantis…)
- Imperfect: (e.g., cantés, cantessis…)
Imperative Mood:
- (e.g., canta, canteu…)