Catalan Literature: A Historical Overview
The Troubadour Tradition
The main genres of troubadour poetry include:
- The Song (Canso): An idealization of praise and courtly love.
- The Dawn Song (Alba): Tells the separation of lovers at dawn.
- The Pastorela: A dialogue between a knight and a shepherdess.
- The Dance Song (Balada): A song for dancing.
- The Tenso: A poetic debate between two troubadours.
- The Planh (Cry): A lament for the death of a loved one.
- The Sirventes: A personal attack or a promotion of ideas.
Catalan poets initially wrote in Occitan
Read MoreBaroque Literature: Aesthetics and Key Authors
Aesthetic and Literary Baroque
Limited Originality
Faced with imposed limitations, Baroque writers sought to surprise the reader with wit and originality.
Imbalance and Disproportion
The harmony and balance of Neoclassicism are lost in the Baroque, replaced by a need to express the excesses of human reality in an elaborate manner. Baroque writers highlight contradictions through the predominance of contrasts and the constant use of antithesis.
Revaluation of the Human and Yearning for Infinity
On one
Read MorePre-1939 Spanish Theater: Trends and Innovations
Pre-1939 Spanish Theater
The theater is a business in which local entrepreneurs take into account the tastes of the audiences. This has consequences for the ideological and aesthetic, especially in the early twentieth century. Theater managers avoided cutting-edge works, hindering the evolution of Spanish drama compared to Europe. Playwrights had to either surrender to these conditions or resign themselves to their productions being relegated to a minority audience. Any attempt to break new ground
Read MoreModernist and Generation of ’98 Literature Overview
Modernist Authors
Rubén Darío
Darío’s work uses Parnassianism and Symbolism.
- Parnassianism: The poem should be a perfect work of art, seeking to provoke sensations.
- Symbolism: The poet must submit their feelings. Recurring symbols link a perceived reality to our emotions.
He used the Alexandrine verse form.
His three most important books are:
- Azul (Blue): Combines prose and verse.
- Prosas profanas (Profane Prose): A collection of poems and his most Parnassian book.
- Cantos de vida y esperanza (Songs of
Latin American Literature: Modernism to the Boom
1. Modern Prose
- In the early twentieth century, Latin American literature felt the imprint of modernism and then a progressive rejection of cosmopolitanism, leading to an American quest for greater simplicity and style.
- Modernist prose found its best expression in the short story. Dario himself is the author of valuable stories with fantasy themes and modernist taste. The lure of the decadent and precious style is seen in other authors such as Leopoldo Lugones and Horacio Quiroga.
- The decline of Modernism
The Post-War Spanish & Latin American Novel
The Post-War Spanish Novel (to 1950s)
Introduction
After the civil war, a period of isolation, censorship, death, and exile ensued, leading to cultural impoverishment. Spain disregards thematic renovations taking place in Europe and continues publishing novels by the already established Generation of ’98, such as Pío Baroja. Novelists in exile, though dispersed, shared common themes: the ethical issues of war, memories of a lost homeland, nostalgia, and the presence of their new residences.