18th and 19th Century Spanish Literature
Neoclassical Prose
There was little production of lyric poetry and a rise in essays and theater.
Benito Jerónimo Feijoo
With a personal tone and clear language, Feijoo covered a great variety of themes in works such as Theater Critic Universal and Erudite and Odd Letters. He defended the search for truth through reason and experience. His work reveals practical problems and defends women’s access to education and culture.
Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Jovellanos’s writings covered a wide variety of themes.
Read More20th and 21st Century Literature in Extremadura
Literature in Extremadura: 20th and 21st Centuries
Early 20th Century
Several factors influenced literary production in Extremadura at the beginning of the 20th century. The region’s lack of a university led many aspiring writers to seek education elsewhere, particularly in Madrid and Salamanca. This period saw the emergence of regionalist writing, influenced by the Generation of ’98 and the modernist movement. Authors like Miguel Angel Delgado, Luis Sáez Lama, and José María Gabriel y Galán explored
Read MoreEl Señor Presidente Analysis: Themes, Characters, and Symbolism
El Señor Presidente: A Critical Analysis
Argument
The story begins at “The Portal of the Lord,” a gathering place for beggars, including the Zany. The Zany, deeply disturbed by the word “mother,” murders Colonel Joseph Parrales Smiling for uttering it. Following the crime, the Zany escapes, and the police coerce the beggars to falsely accuse General Eusebio Canales. Mosco, a beggar who refuses to lie, is killed by the Auditor of War.
Miguel Angel Face finds the Zany and brings him to a village. Angel
Read MorePostwar Catalan Poetry: Estellés, Espriu, and Martí i Pol
Postwar Catalan Poetry
Overview
The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the subsequent dictatorship had a profound impact on Catalan literature. Repression and censorship aimed to erase all symbols of republicanism, particularly targeting regional languages like Catalan, Galician, and Basque. This suppression led to a flourishing of Catalan literature in exile, exploring themes of a destroyed homeland and stateless existence. Notable works from this period include Josep Carner’s Nabi and Carles Riba’
Read MoreNoucentisme and Avant-Garde Movements in Catalan Literature
Noucentisme
Noucentisme was a political and cultural movement in Catalonia from 1906 (1st Congress of the Catalan Language) to 1923 (coup d’etat of Primo de Rivera). It reflected the aspirations of the Catalan bourgeoisie and aimed to create, disseminate, and normalize Catalan culture. More than just a literary movement, Noucentisme was an ideological movement supported by political power. It sought to distance itself from Modernism and emphasized the role of institutions in developing cultural infrastructure
Read More20th-Century Latin American Literature: Overview & Analysis
20th-Century Latin American Literature
Overview
Latin American literature generally followed Spanish trends until the late 19th century when Modernism emerged. This movement rejected Spanish influence and sought inspiration from American, French, and other sources. In the early 20th century, Modernism reached its peak with Rubén Darío.
Rubén Darío
Darío’s poetry synthesized American Modernism with European movements like Parnassianism and Symbolism. His career can be divided into two phases:
- Phase