18th Century Spanish Poetry: Post-Baroque to Neoclassical
The 18th century saw a shift in Spanish poetry, moving from the post-Baroque style to Neoclassicism. Post-Baroque poetry, prominent in the first half of the century, mirrored the culteranismo concepts of Quevedo and Góngora. Key themes included death and time, characterized by exaggerated hipérbatos, extravagant metaphors, and wordplay. Notable figures include Diego de Torres Villarroel and Gerardo Eugenio Lobo.
As the century progressed, a new style emerged where poetic inspiration was coupled
Read MoreValle-Inclán’s Theatrical Legacy: Myth, Farce, and Grotesque
Valle-Inclán: A Theatrical Revolution
Ramón María del Valle-Inclán is arguably the most complex and exciting writer of the twentieth century. He was a writer too modern for his time. His theater was so new and unknown to the public that it was kept away from the Spanish scene for over forty years. Valle-Inclán invented a new form of drama and a new conception of the stage. He advanced to the new European theater, the theater of the absurd, and avant-garde theater, pursuing technical, formal,
Read MoreSpanish Poetry: From Civil War to the 21st Century
Miguel Hernández: A Bridge Between Literary Generations
We should first mention Miguel Hernández, a poet who bridged the gap between the Generation of ’27 and the Generation of ’36, reaching his peak after the Spanish Civil War. Although a late disciple, Miguel Hernández’s work reflects the same stages as those of his generation. His initial phase was characterized by avant-garde poetry, ‘dehumanized’ and filled with brilliant metaphors, as seen in Perito en lunas. This phase concluded with El
Read MoreExtremaduran Literature: 20th Century to Post-Civil War
The Generation of ’98 and Regionalism
The crisis of 1898 in Spain spurred a literary movement focused on individual regeneration. This resulted in the modernist poets and a renewed thematic approach by the authors of the Generation of ’98.
In Extremadura, during the early years of the 20th century, regionalist authors dominated the literary scene. These writers, heirs of 19th-century regionalism, considered José María Gabriel y Galán their master. They produced works idealizing rural life, which
Read MoreBaroque 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
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