Carmen Laforet’s Nada: A Postwar Barcelona Story
Carmen Laforet’s *Nada*: A Portrait of Postwar Spain
Nada is a novel written by Carmen Laforet, published in 1945. It won the Nadal Prize in its first edition, making it one of the most important novels of the Spanish postwar period. It is framed within existential realism, a literary movement that reflects the uprooting, anguish, and loneliness of its characters in a hostile world. The work is set in postwar Barcelona, a city marked by poverty and the repression of the Franco regime. Through its
Literary Movements: From Edwardian to Postmodern
Edwardian and Modernist Literature
Edwardian characters, in the works of authors like Wells and Bennett, focused on the society, economy, politics, and moral state of the nation. This gave rise to an Edwardian version of the “Condition of England” novel. They differed from modernist writers in that they were not interested in the characters’ individual psychology, but in their existence as social types to criticize society. The important thing was what was narrated, not how. Modernists were experimental,
Basque Writers Joseba Sarrionandia and Angel Lertxundi
Joseba Sarrionandia: A Literary Life
Joseba Sarrionandia, born in Durango in 1958, emerged as a prominent Basque writer in the 1980s, alongside figures like Bernardo Atxaga. While pursuing university studies, Sarrionandia was arrested and accused of being part of an ETA commando. He later escaped from Martutene prison. From the 1990s until his official recognition, he focused on literature, becoming a key figure in the Basque literary scene. He championed the Basque language (Euskara) and his work,
Read MoreMiguel de Cervantes and Don Quixote: Life, Work, and Analysis
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
Life:
Born in Alcalá de Henares in 1547. He spent time in Italy and participated in the Battle of Lepanto, where he was wounded. Returning to Spain, his ship was captured, and he spent five years in captivity in Algiers. Back in Spain, he worked as a tax collector in Andalusia, a job that led to stays in jail. His last years were spent in Valladolid and Madrid.
Work:
Theater:
- Comedies and farces: “The Baths of Algiers,” “The Altar of Wonders.”
- “La Numancia”: A tragedy
Classic and Anti-Classical Literary Movements: Features & History
Classic and Anti-Classical Literary Movements
Literary movements get their name because their literary manifestations are not static but are constantly changing and evolving.
Culture: Every manifestation of man (clothes, music, food, tradition, customs, among others).
Features of Classic Literary Movements:
- Follow patterns.
- Have an elitist and difficult-to-understand vocabulary.
- Have a large aesthetic burden.
- The author does not have creative freedom.
- They use women as a source of inspiration and spiritual
Literary Narrative Techniques and Styles: A Comprehensive Analysis
Literary Narrative Techniques and Styles
Historic or Heroic Narratives
Epic Poems:
- Characterized by impersonality and drama.
- Exists in its own world, lacking critical features.
- Narrated in the third person.
- Typically transmitted orally.
Epic Poem (Extensive):
- Describes actions worthy of remembrance by a community or humanity.
- Examples: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, La Araucana.
Chansons de Geste:
- Accounts of heroic legends originating in the feudal world and the Crusades.
- Reflect the feudal link between