Key Concepts in Spanish Literature and Grammar
Spanish and Latin American Literary Movements
The Postwar Novel
- Camilo José Cela (Nobel Prize in Literature 1989): His works, such as Pascual Duarte’s Family and The Hive (1951), initiated an alarming portrayal of the immediate degradation of postwar Spain.
- Miguel Delibes (1920): Notable works include Diary of a Hunter, An Immigrant’s Day, and Five Hours with Mario (1966), known for its internal monologue, colloquial language, and repetition.
- Gonzalo Torrente Ballester: Author of The Joys and Shadows.
The Social Novel of the 1950s
Key Characteristics
- Focus on Spanish reality
- Objectivism and predominance of dialogue
- Short sentences and simple lexicon
- Juan Marsé (1933): His novel Últimas tardes con Teresa (1966) offers a critical vision of the Catalan bourgeoisie.
From the 1970s to the Contemporary Novel
- Eduardo Mendoza (1943): The Truth About the Savolta Case (1975) recounts Javier Miranda’s memories of events in Barcelona during 1917 and 1920, characterized by chronological disorder and a variety of stylistic registers.
- José María Guelbenzu (1944)
- Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1939)
Hispanic American Realist Novel
- The Regionalist Novel (or ‘Novel of the Land’)
- The Social Novel
- The Novel of the Mexican Revolution
Renovation of Latin American Narrative
- Alejo Carpentier: The Cathedral (1962)
- Miguel Ángel Asturias: El Señor Presidente (1946)
- Jorge Luis Borges: His narrative creation is primarily composed of short stories.
The Latin American Novel Boom
- Mario Vargas Llosa: One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)
- Gabriel García Márquez: On Heroes and Tombs (1961), Chronicle of a Death Foretold
- Julio Cortázar
Understanding Noun Phrase Components
Subject
It is the nucleus of the clause. It determines the number and person of the verb, with which it must agree.
Vocative
This noun phrase is used specifically to attract the attention of the recipient. It performs an extra-orational (appellative) function, independent of the subject and predicate.
Noun Complement (C.nombre)
A phrase that specifies or modifies the core meaning of a noun within a noun phrase.
Apposition
A noun phrase that modifies the nucleus of another noun phrase without a preposition.
Direct Object Complement (C. direct)
It is the phrase that directly receives the action of the verb and completes its meaning in transitive structures.
Indirect Object Complement (C. Indirect)
It expresses the person, animal, or thing regarding which the verbal action occurs; that is, it indicates who benefits from or is harmed by the action of the verb.
Circumstantial Complements (Cs. Circunstanciales)
These indicate the different circumstances that affect the verbal action.
Attribute
Unique complements of copular structures. It is a phrase (nominal, adjectival, or adverbial) that expresses a quality or characteristic of the subject or emphasizes an appearance of it.
Predicative Complement
It expresses a quality of the subject or direct object in predicative sentences.
Direct Regimen Complement (Supplement Direct)
It is always a noun phrase preceded by a preposition that specifies the meaning of the verb. The preposition is selected by the verb.
Indirect Regimen Complement (Supplement indirect)
It is a complement that appears in sentences with a direct object; the preposition is dictated by the verb, similar to the direct regimen complement.
Predicative Regimen Complement (Predicative Supplement)
A mixture of a regimen complement and a predicative complement.
Agent Complement (Snap Agent)
In passive sentences, it is the executor of the action of the verb.
Adjective or Adverb Complement (Supplement adjective or adverb)
Specifies the meaning of the adjective or adverb they accompany.
Sentence Structures: Unimember and Bimember
Unimember Sentences
These lack one of the two basic elements: subject or predicate.
- Noun Phrases: These lack a verb.
- Impersonal Sentences: These do not have, nor can they have, a subject.
Bimember Sentences
They consist of a subject and a predicate. The subject can be lexical or grammatical. There are several types:
- Passive: With a patient subject and a passive verb.
- Passive Reflexive: With a patient subject, marked by “se,” and an active verb.
- Active: With an agent subject and an active verb.
- Copulative: Uses verbs like “ser,” “estar,” “parecer” with an attribute.
- Predicative: Any verb that is not copulative.
- Transitive: Verb-predicate and a direct object.
- Intransitive: Verb-predicate without a direct object.
- Reflexive: The subject performs the action and simultaneously receives it.
- Reciprocal: Very similar to reflexive sentences in form, the action takes place mutually between the components of the subject.