Analysis of Fernando de Rojas’ La Celestina
La Celestina
Publication, Author, and Title
First published in Madrid in 1499, La Celestina, originally titled Comedy of Calisto and Melibea, consists of 16 acts. New editions emerged, evolving the title and structure:
- 1502: Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea (21 acts)
- 20 years later: Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea, Old Whore, and Celestina
- 1569: La Celestina
Fernando de Rojas
Fernando de Rojas, the author, was born between 1470 and 1475 in Puebla de Montalbán, Spain. He studied Humanities in Salamanca
Read MoreRealism and Naturalism in 19th Century Literature
Realism and Naturalism
From Romanticism to Realism
European and American realist literature evolved from Romanticism by minimizing or eliminating its characteristic features. In countries like England, France, and Russia, where the realist novel emerged earlier, the proponents of this new wave were initially established Romantic writers. Examples include Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) and French novelists Stendhal (1783-1842) and Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), pioneers of realism in their
Read More20th Century Spanish Poetry: From Existentialism to Social Realism
20th Century Spanish Poetry
Literary Currents in the Late 20th Century
In the latter half of the twentieth century, Marxism and the Frankfurt School continued to influence many writers. Existentialism, with thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, explored the absurdity of existence and the failures of humanism. The early 1980s saw the rise of postmodern thought (Vattimo and Lyotard), challenging the rationalist projects of previous decades. This era also witnessed the emergence of feminist,
Read MoreCatalan Renaissance Poetry: A Comparative Analysis
Century and the Fifteenth Century: A Decay and Renaissance
‘The pattern’ was written by Bonaventura Carles Aribau (Barcelona, 1798-1862) while working in Madrid. It was published by The Steam in 1833 and became the symbol of the movement known as the Renaissance. This movement promoted the exaltation of the Romantic landscape (Montseny, Llobregat) and “The pattern” was the first poem to be published according to the new Romantic tastes.
For Aribau, exiled from Catalonia, there is only one way to satisfy
Read MoreCatalan Novelistic Trends in the 19th Century
Bourgeoisie and the Novel
Historical Context
As the bourgeoisie gained political and social prominence throughout Europe, the novel experienced a period of flourishing. Authors sought to cater to the tastes of this new readership.
The Realist Novel
The 19th century saw the rise of the realist novel. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) pioneered the historical novel, while Honoré de Balzac, author of The Human Comedy, is considered a master of realism. Balzac viewed Scott as his mentor. The realist novel aimed
Read MoreSpanish Medieval Literature: A Journey Through Jarchas, Cantigas, Chanson de Geste, and Romancero
1. Lyric Poetry
The Jarchas
Discovered in 1948 in a synagogue in Cairo, the jarchas represent the oldest literary manifestations in Spanish. These poems, written in Arabic with a Spanish refrain (estribillo), date back to around 1040. They typically express the lament of a woman (the mistress) who mourns the absence of her beloved, either because he has departed by sea or due to fears of infidelity.
The Cantigas
Cantigas are poetic compositions in Galician-Portuguese, written from the late 12th to the
Read MoreCatalan Renaissance Poetry: A Comparative Analysis
Century and the Fifteenth Century: A Decay and Renaissance
‘The pattern’ was written by Bonaventura Carles Aribau (Barcelona, 1798-1862) while working in Madrid. It was published by The Steam in 1833 and became the symbol of the movement known as the Renaissance. This movement promoted the exaltation of the Romantic landscape (Montseny, Llobregat) and “The Pattern” was the first poem to be published according to the new Romantic tastes.
For Aribau, exiled from Catalonia, there is only one way to satisfy
Read MoreSpanish Literature of the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries: From Modernismo to the Generation of ’98
1. Society and Culture of Late 19th and Early 20th Century Spain
The year 1898 marked a significant turning point for Spain. Once a great empire, Spain still held onto some colonies outside of Europe. However, in this year, Spain and the U.S. engaged in war, resulting in a U.S. victory and Spain’s reduction to a territory similar to what it occupies today. The defeat of ’98 deeply wounded the pride of many Spaniards, as it revealed the country’s decline. Workers, laboring under harsh conditions,
Read MoreLinguistic Characteristics of Digital Communication: A Cohesive Analysis
Point-B: Linguistic Characterization
Beyond a pragmatic approach, analyzing the linguistic elements that support cohesion and alignment reveals fundamental characteristics of this text as an act of communication.
A. Policy
At the morphological level, the correct use of alignment morphemes is evident between elements at the phrase and sentence levels. There’s also proper use of coordinated and subordinated bonds (e.g., “a computer thing,” line 1; “email and Internet,” line 3).
Cohesion is intensified
Read More20th Century Spanish Theater: From Post-War to Present
The Theater from the Post-War to Present
The situation of the theater after the war faced particular constraints due to censorship and the commercial interests of employers who followed the demands of an innovative bourgeois theater. The public from before 1936 disappeared, as did exiled writers, to which must be added film competition.
1940s Traditional bourgeois theater triumphed, aiming only to entertain the public. However, two other parallel renovating trends emerged:
- Comic Theater: Characterized