Francisco de Quevedo: Life, Works, and Literary Style
Francisco de Quevedo: Life, Works, and Style
Francisco de Quevedo spent his life in Aragon and faced challenges with the Society of Jesus due to his writing. He was a prominent intellectual whose prose aimed to provide moral instruction.
Quevedo’s Masterpiece: El Criticón
El Criticón, published in three parts (1651, 1653, 1657), anticipates the philosophical novel of the eighteenth century. The work follows two characters on a pilgrimage, learning to mistrust appearances in their quest for wisdom
Read MoreWalt Whitman: Life, Poetry, and Influence on American Literature
Walt Whitman: A Literary Journey
Walt Whitman
(West Hills, USA, 1819 – Camden, 1892) American Poet. Son of a Dutch mother and a British father, he was the second of nine children in a family with limited economic resources. He had limited schooling and soon had to start working, first as an itinerant teacher and later as a printer, despite his poor academic background.
He developed a passion for journalism, an interest that led him to work for several New York newspapers and magazines. Appointed director
Read MoreJohnson’s Rasselas: Abyssinia, Morality, and Orientalism
Rasselas (1759): A Discussion
Samuel Johnson’s Rasselas draws upon his prior knowledge of Abyssinia, fueled by popular interest and the power of publishers. While Johnson had written oriental tales previously, this book transcends a simple connection with England, existing outside of time and place within the setting of Abyssinia. The book incorporates information about Abyssinia not solely derived from Portuguese missionary translations, potentially drawing from accounts of Basque missionaries.
Read MoreCharacters of The Mayor of Zalamea: Analysis
Pedro Crespo
An old farmer appointed mayor of Zalamea. He has a son, Juan, and a daughter, Isabel. His character is dynamic, contradictory, highly complex, and continually changes as the action develops. He possesses a high sense of social honor but believes that, by natural law, peasants hold an inferior position to nobles. He is one of the greatest characters created in Spanish Golden Age drama. Almost all other characters exist primarily in relation to him, though this doesn’t mean they lack autonomy
Read MoreGothic Cathedrals: Architecture and Evolution in Europe
Architecture: The Gothic Cathedral
The Gothic cathedral is characterized by verticality and light, reflecting divinity. Its most typical expression is the cathedral, where we find all the elements of Gothic art. It utilizes a new type of arch and vault: the pointed arch and vault, which enables a transparent wall covered with glass. Rosettes are privileged under the windows of colored glass.
Latin cross plans predominate, distinguishing the header and cruise ships, three to five. The choir has an
Read MoreSpanish Picaresque Novels: Key Works and European Legacy
Key Spanish Picaresque Novels
Quevedo’s El Buscón
The following picaresque masters are discussed briefly. Quevedo’s El Buscón picks up themes from Lazarillo de Tormes and Guzmán de Alfarache, but removes the element present in Lazarillo where the beginning of the protagonist’s life presents a series of open perspectives. In Quevedo’s work, the character’s childhood environment is infamous, marked by blood. Although offered a horrid job, he refuses it to continue his infamous life, owning it. Quevedo
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