Spanish Theater Before the Civil War: Commercial vs. Renewal
Theater Prior to the Civil War
The renovation was triumphing in narrative, but Spanish poetry did not come with equal force to the drama. They differ dramatically twofold: the mall with the sole purpose of entertaining the public, and the renewal, with far fewer followers.
Commercial Theater
Designed to meet the demand for public entertainment by the bourgeois of the time. It is a drama of manners, comic or melodramatic, it avoids the ideological conflicts and the trend continues with traditional dramatic.
Read MoreGarcía Márquez: Context, Themes, and Literary Stages
Arguments and Context
Historical-Cultural Context
Economic retardation and social inequalities have been sources of constant tensions. As a result, political instability is one of the main problems these nations suffer, which have alternated throughout the twentieth century with periods of democratic governments, repressive dictatorships, and revolutionary movements that generated waves of armed struggle and violence. The most prominent social and cultural trait of Hispanic America is mestizaje. In
Read MoreSpanish Golden Age Literature: Key Authors and Works
Literary Works of the Spanish Golden Age
Key Authors and Their Masterpieces
- Fernando de Rojas: Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea
- Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Don Quixote de la Mancha
- San Juan de la Cruz (Juan Yepes): Dark Night, Spiritual Canticle, Living Flame of Love
- Santa Teresa de Jesus (Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada): Way of Perfection, Concepts of God’s Love
- Mateo Alemán: Guzmán de Alfarache (picaresque novel)
- Anonymous: Lazarillo de Tormes (picaresque novel)
- Bernal Díaz del Castillo: History of
Antonio Machado & Juan Ramón Jiménez: Lives and Poetry
Antonio Machado (1875-1939)
Biography
- Born in Seville into a family with intellectual roots and reformist ideology.
- He spent his youth in Madrid and studied at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza (Free Institution of Education).
- He spent time in Paris, and upon his return, began publishing in modernist journals.
- He moved to Soria in 1907 as a Professor of French, where he met and married Leonor Izquierdo.
- In 1912, his wife fell ill and died. The poet’s immense sadness led him to leave Soria in the following
Caterina Albert (Víctor Català) & 19th Century Catalan Literature
Caterina Albert i Paradís (Víctor Català)
Biography and Career
Caterina Albert i Paradís, better known by her pen name Víctor Català, was born in L’Escala on September 11, 1896, and died there on January 27, 1966. Associated with Catalan Modernisme, she was the daughter of a politician and had two brothers. She was a novelist, storyteller, poet, and playwright.
A shy and solitary woman, she was largely self-taught. Her work often explored dark themes, including violence and the harshness of rural
Read MoreMedieval & Pre-Renaissance Spanish Literary Works
Medieval Spanish Literature Highlights
Hispano-Hebrew Literature and Conversos
Focus on Hispano-Hebrew literature and works concerning Moors, Conversos (New Christians), often presenting a critical attitude towards the society that despised them for their origins.
Mester de Juglaría (Minstrelsy)
Mester de Juglaría: The craft of minstrels (juglares) who performed epic poems, lyrics, and other works, often for popular audiences.
- Topics: Included military exploits, courtly lyrics, and poetry by both male