Spanish Golden Age Literature: Poetry and Prose
The Spanish Golden Age spanned approximately from the end of the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella to the death of Charles II in 1700 (15th-17th centuries). Key historical events include the discovery of America in 1492, the Habsburg intermarriage, and the brief annexation of Portugal, which added to the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon an immense empire that progressively disintegrated from the last quarter of the 16th century. During this period, Spain engaged in continuous wars. The 16th and 17th
Read MoreFifteenth & Sixteenth Century Literature: Key Themes
Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth Century Issues
Fifteenth-Century, the 1st New Mentality:
- Influenced the epidemic after the Black Death.
- Had consequential steps of the modern age, enabled by the media age.
- Transformations:
- Transformations policies: Recovery of royal authority.
- Transformations economic and socials: Development of commerce in all regions and roads brought increased contact of bourgeois and wide for + of the thinking.
- Transformations culturals: The step to knowledge from the universities
Miguel Hernández: Social and Political Engagement in Poetry
Social and Political Engagement in the Poetry of Miguel Hernández
Miguel Hernández made several trips to Madrid. His first, in 1935, was unsuccessful. He writes that the river stops Ray, meet Vicente Aleixandre (whom he admired), worked with Pablo Neruda, and joined the Educational Missions, among many other things. These Missions were an educational project, and it was here that Miguel Hernández’s social commitment began.
The outbreak of the Civil War required Miguel Hernández to move into politics.
Read MoreSpanish Medieval Poetry: Juan Ruiz & Jorge Manrique
POEMS
Juan Ruiz
Considered the first lyric poet in Castilian, alongside Berceo, and a key figure of the Mester de Clerecía. His only surviving work is the Book of Good Love, though his production was likely more extensive. This book reflects 14th-century society, including tensions between the emerging bourgeoisie and the nobility. The work, comprising 1728 stanzas, presents an autobiographical narrative that explores the risks of passionate love. The Dean, as protagonist, navigates a world of
Read MoreSpanish Romantic and Realistic Literature: Key Authors
Romantic Lyric: Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
Sevillano, orphaned at a young age, Bécquer lived with his godmother. He moved to Madrid and contributed to periodicals and magazines. His wife inspired some of his verses, but another woman also influenced him. He died at the young age of 34.
His poetic style calls for compositions of rhymes. His tone is intimate, and his style is simple. His entire work is compiled in The Book of Sparrows, which is organized in a specific order:
- Rhymes 1-11: The mystery of
Linguistic Evolution in the Iberian Peninsula: From Latin to Modern Languages
Latin Roots in Hispania
Vulgar Latin came into contact with pre-Roman languages in Hispania. These included Celtic-Iberian and Lusitanian (Indo-European family), as well as Iberian, Basque, and Tartessian (language family unknown). All these pre-Roman languages eventually disappeared, although they influenced the Latin spoken in the region, with the notable exception of Basque, which survived.
Emergence of Romance Languages in Iberia
The Latin brought by Roman soldiers and settlers diversified through
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