Spanish Literature: From Medieval Times to Pre-Renaissance
Ages
From the demise of Lir until the discovery of America.
- In the Peninsula, it is marked by the presence of Arabic, and religion inspires art and literature.
- It is divided into medieval literature and pre-Renaissance literature.
Traditional Lyric
Jarchas (10th and 11th Centuries)
Short lyrical compositions whose theme is the lament of a woman who lost her beloved.
Cantigas de Amigo (13th, 14th Centuries)
Item, the same as that of jarchas. Parallelism of verses.
Mester de Juglaría (12th Century)
- They tell
Spanish Literature: From 19th Century to the Generation of ’27
Spanish Historical Context
The nineteenth century in Spain ended with the so-called Disaster of ’98. Spain lost its last overseas colonies—Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines—as a result of the military defeat suffered against the U.S. fleet. These events took place at a time when the country was experiencing strong social tensions due to the poor living conditions of the proletariat. The scientific and technological backwardness, coupled with the unstable social situation, worried the intellectuals
Read MoreCatalan Modernism: Art, Society, and Literature
The Modernist Movement
Modernism was the movement that emerged in Catalonia between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with the aim of transforming traditional Catalan culture into a modern culture.
The promoters wanted to bring Catalonia into Europe. They believed that traditionalists had to banish all aspects of Catalan culture and introduce innovative ideas.
Modernism and Society
Bourgeois Hegemony
The restoration of the Bourbon monarchy was accompanied by a period of social peace that helped
Read MoreLa Celestina by Fernando de Rojas: A Literary Masterpiece
La Celestina: A Literary Masterpiece
Editions and Author
La Celestina, a jewel of Spanish literature alongside Don Quixote, was written by Fernando de Rojas. The first known edition of this book was printed in Burgos under the title Comedy of Calisto and Melibea and consisted of 16 acts. The second edition, printed in Toledo, included a letter from the author to a friend and some verses. These verses revealed, through an acrostic, the name of the author: Fernando de Rojas. Rojas expanded the work,
Read MoreSpanish Theater: Exile, Censorship, and Innovation (1939-Present)
Spanish Theater in Exile and Post-War (1939)
Spanish Theater in exile and post-war in a context of political cleansing, rationing, and strict censorship.
- Max Aub: San Juan, Jewish emigrants fleeing the Nazis in a ship and fail to be received in any port. Dying to Ignore.
- Machado Brothers: The Man Who Died in the War
- Alejandro Casona: The Lady of the Dawn, The Boat Without a Fisherman, Trees Die Standing.
Forties: Humor
Literature of evasion and related arrangements, as well as rooted poetry.
- Enrique Jardiel
Tirso de Molina’s The Trickster of Seville: A Deep Dive into Themes and Structure
Tirso de Molina’s *The Trickster of Seville*: A Deep Dive into Themes and Structure
Characteristics of the New Art of Comedy
The Trickster of Seville features characteristics typical of the theater of its time, that is, the new art of comedy created by Lope de Vega. The theater tries to be a real theater, a picture of life, spontaneous and colorful in terms of scenes. One of the primary characteristics of this style in the works of Tirso de Molina is the external division into three acts which, in
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