15th Century Spanish Literature: Key Authors and Movements

15th Century Spain: A Time of Change

The fifteenth century was a time of significant change for Spain. After internal crises in the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile, and the Hundred Years’ War, things improved politically with the marriage of Isabel I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. During their reign, critical events took place, such as the end of the Reconquista and the discovery of America. This era saw trade development and the growth of cities, favoring the bourgeoisie. Culture became a

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Dualism and Naturalism in 19th-Century Realist Novels

Religious and Ideological Dualism

One of the major themes in realist and naturalist novels is the clash between different conceptions of the world, offering a dualistic approach to life. One of the most prominent dualisms is shown through the confrontation between clericalism and anticlericalism. The defense or attack on religion often focuses on the clergy that officially represents it. Moreover, the political vision of the literary message was also observed after 1868, and authors reveal their

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Catalan Language: Eastern Dialects and Their Features

Catalan Eastern Dialects: Phonetic, Morphosyntactic, and Lexical Traits

General Phonetic Traits

  1. **Neutralization of unstressed /a/, /e/, /o/, /u/:** “Bridge” (pont) and “roof” (teulat) are pronounced as “puntet.”
  2. **Closed /e/ and /o/ from Vulgar Latin (including an intermediate neutral vowel, still present in Balearic):** “Clean” (net), “cold” (fred), “onion” (ceba), “pear” (pera), “hair” (cabells).
  3. **Intervocalic or final /d/ is not pronounced when not preceded by [j]:** “Lame” [koiʃ].

General Morphosyntactic

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Spanish Literary Movements: Realism, Modernism, and the Generation of ’98

Spanish Literary Realism

Spanish literary realism, a literary and ideological movement, marked a break with Romanticism. It is based on the use of detailed and thorough descriptions, with lists and concrete nouns, the use of long paragraphs and complex subordination, providing an almost magnetic playback of popular speech without idealizing it, and the use of a style characterized by “invisible” language to express characters, events, and situations objectively without calling attention to the writer.
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Journalistic Genres: Information, Interpretation, and Opinion

Kinds of Information and Interpretation

These elements combine informative journalistic genres with the author’s personal assessment:

  • Chronicle: Refers to events in one day, although it often seeks information about consequences.
  • Background: Appears linked to the interpretation of the journalist.
  • Interpretative Reportage: Distinguished from a chronicle in that it covers events occurring at different times and related to each other.
  • Assessment: Differentiates it from an informative news report.
  • Profile
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Spanish Literature: Novecentismo, Generation of ’98, and Modernism

Novecentismo

This movement is characteristic of the second decade of the 20th century. The decline of Modernism in Spain was evident by this time, and new literary magazines such as ‘Prometheus’ (1908) proposed a different approach. The most important literature of the date (1914) was the start of a World War and the emergence of the “League of Political Education,” which included Manuel Azaña, Ortega y Gasset, and several others. Novecentists are also called the “Generation of ’14.”

Features:

  • Rationalism:
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