Glossary of Literary Terms and Movements
Literary Devices
Sound Devices
Alteration
Repetition of consonants in a line to imitate sound.
Anaphora
Repeating a word at the beginning of each verse or phrase.
Figurative Language
Metaphor
Direct comparison between two unlike things, suggesting they are the same.
Simile
Comparison between two unlike things using “like” or “as.”
Personification
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Hyperbole
Exaggeration for emphasis.
Hyperbaton
Altering the typical word order of a sentence.
Synesthesia
Describing one sense in terms of another (e.g., “loud color”).
Other Devices
Parallelism
Repeating similar grammatical structures.
Polysyndeton
Using conjunctions repeatedly in a sentence.
Sinalefa
Combining the last vowel of one word with the first vowel of the next word.
Poetic Forms
Verse Types
Alexandrine
A line of verse with 14 syllables, divided into two hemistichs of 7 syllables each.
Tetrasyllabos
Verses with 4 syllables.
Sistillo
A stanza of 6 verses.
Poetic Genres
Cantiga
Galician-Portuguese song poems, often about love.
Jarchas
Short poems in Mozarabic language, often placed at the end of moaxajas.
Romance
Narrative poems with origins in the 14th century.
Villancico
Short poems with origins in the 13th century, often about love.
Literary Movements
Medieval Literature (5th to 15th Centuries)
Mester de Juglaría
Oral tradition of epic poems recited by minstrels.
Mester de Clerecía
Written tradition of religious and didactic works by learned clerics.
Prerrenacimiento (15th Century)
Transitional period between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Renaissance (16th Century)
Emphasis on classical learning and humanism.
Baroque (17th Century)
Characterized by ornate style and complex metaphors.
Illustration (18th Century)
Emphasis on reason and enlightenment.
Romanticism (19th Century)
Emphasis on emotion, individualism, and nature.
Realism (19th Century)
Focus on depicting everyday life and social issues.
Naturalism (Late 19th Century)
Extreme form of realism, emphasizing determinism and scientific observation.
Modernism (Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries)
Reaction against realism, emphasizing experimentation and individualism.
Generation of ’98
Spanish literary movement concerned with Spain’s decline after losing its colonies.
Noucentisme (Early 20th Century)
Spanish cultural movement emphasizing order and reason.
Vanguardism (Early 20th Century)
Experimental and innovative artistic movements.
Generation of ’27
Group of Spanish poets influenced by Luis de Góngora and Juan Ramón Jiménez.
Spanish Literature: Authors and Works
Gonzalo de Berceo (13th Century)
First known poet in the Castilian language, known for his religious works.
Juan Ruiz, Arcipreste de Hita (14th Century)
Author of “Libro de Buen Amor,” a complex work with various elements.
Don Juan Manuel (14th Century)
Author of “El Conde Lucanor,” a collection of didactic tales.
Marqués de Santillana (15th Century)
Courtly poet known for his sonnets and serranillas.
Jorge Manrique (15th Century)
Poet known for “Coplas por la Muerte de su Padre,” a meditation on death and the transience of life.
Fernando de Rojas (15th Century)
Author of “La Celestina,” a tragicomedy.
Garcilaso de la Vega (16th Century)
Poet who introduced Italian Renaissance forms to Spanish poetry.
Fray Luis de León (16th Century)
Renaissance poet and scholar known for his translations and original works.
Santa Teresa de Ávila (16th Century)
Mystic and writer known for her spiritual autobiography and poems.
San Juan de la Cruz (16th Century)
Mystic and poet known for his symbolic and allegorical works.
Miguel de Cervantes (16th-17th Centuries)
Author of “Don Quixote,” considered one of the greatest works of Spanish literature.
Luis de Góngora (17th Century)
Baroque poet known for his complex and ornate style.
Francisco de Quevedo (17th Century)
Baroque poet and satirist known for his wit and dark humor.
Lope de Vega (16th-17th Centuries)
Prolific playwright who shaped the Spanish Golden Age theater.
Pedro Calderón de la Barca (17th Century)
Playwright known for his philosophical and allegorical dramas.
Ramón Gómez de la Serna (20th Century)
Avant-garde writer known for his “greguerías,” short and witty aphorisms.
Juan Ramón Jiménez (20th Century)
Poet known for his pure poetry and his work “Platero y Yo.”
Federico García Lorca (20th Century)
Poet and playwright known for his tragic plays and his use of symbolism.
Rafael Alberti (20th Century)
Poet associated with the Generation of ’27.
Camilo José Cela (20th Century)
Novelist known for his experimental style and social criticism.
Miguel Delibes (20th Century)
Novelist known for his depictions of rural life and social issues.
Gabriel García Márquez (20th Century)
Colombian novelist and Nobel laureate known for his magical realism.
Isabel Allende (20th Century)
Chilean novelist known for her historical and magical realist novels.
Additional Notes
Rhyme
Correspondence of sounds at the end of words, especially in poetry.
Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds within words.
Theocentrism
Belief that God is the center of the universe and the focus of human life.
Courtly Love
Medieval European literary concept of love between a knight and a noblewoman.
Golden Age
Period of flourishing arts and literature in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)
Major conflict that had a profound impact on Spanish society and culture.