Catalan Poetry: Key Figures and Masterpieces
Bonaventura Carles Aribau: *The Fatherland*
Bonaventura Carles Aribau (1789-1862) was a promoter of European liberal Romanticism. He was a journalist, but his ideology was not revolutionary. In the mid-twenties, he lived in Madrid and worked for Gaspar de Remisa (a banker). At the end of his life, after disappointments and poor returns, he went back to Barcelona. He is the symbol of the *Renaixença*, as he wanted to join the home language. He wrote *Oda a la Pàtria* in 1832, and it was published
Read MoreBaroque Art: Contrasts, Themes, and Key Figures
Baroque Contrasts and Themes
The Baroque era juxtaposed luxury and poverty, religious fervor with sensuality and cynicism, and idealism with a stark view of reality. Key themes include disappointment and pessimism, often treated with irony and humor. Baroque art is characterized by its excess and lack of balance.
Baroque Theater
The Corral de Comedias, or neighborhood courtyards, served as open-air theaters. Stages were built against walls, with men standing and women seated in front. Love was a central
Read MoreSpanish Theater: Evolution and Key Authors (Early 20th Century)
Spanish Theater in the Early 20th Century
The theatrical genre is subject to conditions peculiar compared to other genres. It suffers more from censorship and must meet business demands, as it is limited by the capacity of its public criticism. Different types of theater are highlighted: one in which rates are less relevant, with authors such as those from the Generation of 98, modernist drama, comic theater, the Vanguards, and the Generation of 27; and on the other hand, authors are grouped with
Read MoreKey Authors and Works of Medieval Spanish Literature
The Mester de Clerecía
The Mester de Clerecía emerged in the 13th century. It consisted of clerics and intellectuals whose didactic works aimed to disseminate knowledge acquired from Latin texts. Their main feature is the use of the cuaderna vía: stanzas of four lines of 14 syllables with a caesura and assonance rhyme. These works were composed to be recited, not sung. While Latin was the dominant language, the first vernacular declaration is found in the Book of Alexander. These narratives are
Read MoreSpanish Literature: Authors and Works from Middle Ages to Present
Spanish Literature: Authors and Works from the Middle Ages to the Present
Middle Ages
- **Gonzalo de Berceo:** *Milagros de Nuestra Señora*
- **Juan Ruiz, Arcipreste de Hita:** *Libro de buen amor*
Golden Age (15th-17th Centuries)
- **Fernando de Rojas:** *La Celestina (Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea)*
- **Garcilaso de la Vega:** *Églogas*
- **Gutierre de Cetina:** *Madrigal*
- **Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga:** *La Araucana*
- **Fray Luis de León:** *Nombres de Cristo*
- **Francisco de Quevedo:** *Sueños*, *El Buscón*
Roman Theater: From Ancient Greece to Renaissance Influence
The Origins of Roman Theater
In ancient Greece, the term drama designated a literary genre that included comedy, tragedy, and satirical drama. Traditionally, Livius Andronicus is considered the introducer of the genre in Rome. He was the first author to represent a tragedy translated from Greek in the Ludi Romani of 240 BC. In Rome, the theater was always considered a show, and representations took place in the context of large public festivals, such as the Ludi Romani, organized in September in
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