The Hive: A Portrait of Post-War Madrid Society
The Hive: A Novel by Camilo José Cela
The Hive (La Colmena) is a major novel by Camilo José Cela. Due to censorship issues, it was first published in Buenos Aires in 1951. The final version did not appear in Spain until 1966. Cela, who had already published The Family of Pascual Duarte, among others, later shared the Nobel Prize. His work is characterized by technical innovation and a rather bleak view of humanity and the world.
Central Theme
The central theme of the novel is the uncertainty of human
Read MoreBalearic and Catalan Dialects: A Linguistic Overview
Balearic Dialect
The Balearic dialect exhibits several distinct characteristics:
- Vocalism: Neutralization of “a” and “e” in unstressed positions.
- Iodització: The passage of the “iod” varies geographically, realized as “i” in some areas and “ll” in others.
- Disappearance of final “n” preceded by words.
- Presence of the labiodental phoneme /v/.
- Palatalization of the phonemes /k/ and /g/.
- The “r” at the end of articulated pronoun forms can be followed…
- High degree of consonantal assimilation.
Morphology
- 1st
Galician Prose 1936-1976: Fole, Cunqueiro, Blanco Amor, Neira Vilas
The Renewal of Galician Prose (1936-1976): Fole, Cunqueiro, Blanco Amor, and Neira Vilas
The Spanish Civil War brought a halt to cultural and literary activity in Galicia. Before the 1950s, the first publishing houses, such as Monterrey and Galaxia, began to emerge. Galaxia, in particular, focused on disseminating Galician culture. The “Galaxia Group” continued the work of universalizing Galician culture, initiated by the Nós Group, also fostering Grial and publications such as the Revista de Economia
Read MorePostmodernist and Feminist Literature in Britain
Key Authors and Characteristics
John Fowles: Fowles is a clear example of a postmodernist novelist. His works had great commercial success in the UK and the USA. He experimented with themes and forms, playing with the past and present, such as in *The French Lieutenant’s Woman* (1969). In this work, Fowles attempts to capture the reader’s attention and make them an active participant. Fowles also uses his own memory to play with the experiences of his characters. Another of his most important works
Read MoreUnderstanding Standard English: Definition & Usage
What is Standard English?
In his entry for “Standard English” in The Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992), Tom McArthur notes that this “widely used term . . . resists easy definition but is used as if most educated people nonetheless know precisely what it refers to.”
For some, Standard English (SE) is a synonym for good or correct English usage. Others use the term to refer to a specific geographical dialect of English, or a dialect favored by the most powerful and prestigious social
Read MorePast Exam Questions: Practice for Success
2010
Option A
Political Polls: Many people are closely following the political polls during the final.
What would you propose to improve society if you were an influential politician?
Option B
Should Everest be closed? Everest has been described as the highest junkyard in the world.
Write about a trip you are organizing with a group of friends to spend a few days in the mountains. Give details of the programme of activities and what everybody should take for the excursion.
2011
Option A
Greening the Sahara:
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