Characters of The House of the Spirits
Character Descriptions
Regarding the main characters, as the story goes, there is really only one central figure: the fiery and formidable Esteban Trueba. From here, there is an almost uncountable number of characters who have a small role that is essential to develop the events as they should.
Esteban Trueba
The main character, with his influence encompassing every page of the book, is Esteban Trueba, who at the time the story is told, is old, sickly, with few friends, but with his trusty silver-handled
Read MoreVirgil: Life and Major Works
Virgil: Life and Works
Virgil was born in Mantua in 70 BC into a modest family. Around the age of twenty, he went to Rome to perfect his knowledge of rhetoric. He could not practice oratory because he lacked the temperament or attitude: he was ill, shy, and had a weak presence. Dispossessed of his father’s estate, he returned to Rome, explained his situation to Augustus, and was granted an indemnity and an estate in Campania. In the final days of his life, he lived in a villa in Naples that Augustus
Read MoreSpanish Neoclassical Literature: Prose & Theater
Neoclassical Prose
During the Neoclassical period, there was limited production of lyric poetry but a significant rise in the essay and theater genres.
Key Neoclassical Prose Writers
Benito Jerónimo Feijoo (1676-1764)
Feijoo is considered the first contemporary Spanish essayist. His work is characterized by a personal tone, clear language, and a great variety of themes. His extensive work spans thirteen volumes, divided into:
- Universal Theater
- Erudite and Curious Letters
He advocated for the search for
Read MoreSpain’s Generation of ’98: Authors and Literary Impact
The Generation of ’98: Spanish Literary Renewal
Core Members and Context
This generation is formed by a group of writers whose main components include:
- Miguel de Unamuno
- Ramón del Valle-Inclán
- Pío Baroja
- Azorín (José Martínez Ruiz)
- Antonio Machado
All these writers were born around the same time and were profoundly moved by a common event: the Spanish decline and the crisis of 1898. They confronted the same problems, stemming from the unfortunate image of Spain, which had fallen into apathy and disinterest.
Read More20th Century Extremaduran Literature: Authors & Eras
Crisis of ’98 to Civil War Literature
Writers in this era, like the regionalists José María Gabriel y Galán, utilized an idealized picture of rural life in conservative literature. It’s a style focused on specific themes and authorial intention. Most notably, Luis Chamizo began to use el Castúo in his works. A. Reyes Huertas‘ prose emphasizes a conservative image of Extremadura, with customs resistant to change. As a writer of Regeneracionismo and the Generation of ’98, Felipe Trigo denounced
Read MoreLove and Loss in Gabriel García Márquez’s Cholera Time
Love in Love in the Time of Cholera
Love’s Forms
Love is the central theme of Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, revolving around Fermina Daza and her two suitors, Florentino Ariza and Juvenal Urbino. The novel explores various facets of love:
- Idealized Love: Florentino’s passionate, unrealistic love for Fermina, marked by yearning and letters, contrasts with Fermina’s more pragmatic approach.
- Married Love: Juvenal and Fermina’s marriage reveals the complexities of domestic love,