Baroque Literary Style: Characteristics and Techniques
Baroque Literary Style: An Artistic Intensification
Baroque style is often characterized by exaggerated elements. Following the Renaissance aesthetic and the death of Felipe II, his son, Felipe III, succeeded him. With him began an unstoppable political, economic, and military decline that worsened throughout the century. The inheritance of his son, Carlos II, resulted in the War of Succession in 1700, in which two factions divided Spain, which was about to lose its political unity. This period was
Read MoreAncient Greece: History, Culture, and Civilization
Ancient Greece: A Cradle of Civilization
Greece, located in South Eastern Europe, consists of a mainland and an archipelago. The mainland is a large peninsula, including the Peloponnese, surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Greece is renowned as the birthplace of Western philosophy, literature, mathematics, history, drama, the Olympic Games, and democracy. The scientific method was first introduced through the work of Thales of Miletus. The Latin alphabet also originates from Greece. The geography
Read MoreSpanish Poetry Renaissance: Currents, Themes, and Key Authors
Poetry Renaissance: The Spanish Revival
The Spanish poetry renaissance saw two main currents:
Traditional Poetry (15th Century)
Oral popular poetry collected in anthologies called cancioneros, where popular and courtly poetry coexisted.
Italian Cultural Influence
Courtly poets continued cultivating the troubadour song, focused on courtly love. In the mid-century, the Romancero emerged, with a new artistic and worshipful character. During the time of Charles V (Italian Renaissance), the Italian style
Catalan Literature Under Franco: 1939 to the Late 1970s
Item 1: Sociopolitical Context of Post-Civil War Spain and its Influence on Literary Output
Abstract:
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), won by Franco’s army, marked the beginning of a fascist dictatorship (1939-1975) that defeated the Second Republic. This regime imposed significant political and social changes, initiating a process of censorship and forced “Espanyolization” of culture, particularly targeting Catalan-speaking regions. The recovery of Catalan political and cultural identity was suppressed.
Read MoreLife and Death: Miguel Hernández’s Poetic Journey
If anything characterizes the poetry of Miguel Hernández, it is its vitality. In his poems, life, blood, passion, war, and love are presented to the reader in all their intensity. The runaway passion for life inevitably leads to the presence of the other side of life: death. Miguel Hernández’s worldview does not separate life from death but sees death as another name for life:
You can see a process in his poetry for which life goes from being a mere excuse for elaborate poetry (Perito en lunas)
Read MoreSpain’s 19th Century: War of Independence and Liberal Reign
The War of Independence and the Cortes of Cadiz
During the War of Independence, the Cortes of Cadiz convened. In 1802, a notification stated that Spain and France would partition Portugal. Numerous French contingents entered through the Pyrenees. However, in terms of commonality, Napoleon intended not only to occupy Portugal but all of the Iberian Peninsula. The arrival of the French in Madrid revealed Napoleon’s intentions to occupy Spanish territory. Godoy (the Prime Minister) convinced the royal
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