Spanish Theater Evolution: Post-Civil War to Present
Spanish Theater After the Civil War
After the Civil War, Spanish theater lost its most innovative writers, as many were either deceased or in exile. This period saw the development of conventional theater, largely based on previous popular melodrama. Its primary aim was to amuse and entertain a conservative audience. Strict censorship prevented the emergence of new works that posed even minimal dissent from established moral and social values.
Postwar Conventional Theater (1940s-1950s)
The postwar
Read MoreSpanish Literary Movements: From Noucentisme to Post-War Eras
Generation of 14 and Noucentisme
- Authors with strong intellectual formation.
- View Europe as a role model.
- Eagerness for modernization.
- Rigorously analyze the problems adversely affecting Spain.
- Emerged after the First World War.
- Most important authors: José Ortega y Gasset, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, Juan Ramón Jiménez.
- Aim for a dehumanized literature.
- Influenced by the avant-garde.
Avant-Garde Movements
Artistic movements that arose in Europe. Their intention was to renew and break from everything previous.
Read MoreLegado Medieval: Feudalismo, Poesía y Crónicas Históricas
Sociedad Feudal: Conceptos Clave
- Batlle (Bayle): Recaudador y administrador de los impuestos del señor feudal.
- Feudatario: Noble que había recibido una propiedad feudal (feudo) a cambio de fidelidad, juramento y dependencia hacia un señor.
- Castellano: Noble menor, con un ejército de caballeros, que se encargaba de gobernar un castillo y controlar a los siervos y esclavos de su dominio.
Cultura Cortesana Medieval
- Corte Feudal: Conjunto compuesto por todas las personas de la familia del señor feudal
Spanish Baroque: Literary Movements and 17th Century Culture
The Baroque Era: Splendor and Decline in the 17th Century
The Baroque was a profound cultural and artistic movement that flourished during the seventeenth century. This period coincided with a significant era of economic and social crisis.
A Period of Crisis and Cultural Contrast
Baroque thought and culture were deeply marked by pessimism and disillusionment. Society turned to religion with a deeper awareness. This pervasive crisis was reflected in sharp cultural contrasts, leading to a violent clash
Read MoreSpanish Post-War Literature: Eras and Movements
Existential Novel in Post-War Spain (1940s)
The existential novel embraced the new Spanish reality, aiming to break from the aesthetic and propagandistic narrative novel. Notable works include Camilo José Cela’s La familia de Pascual Duarte and Carmen Laforet’s Nada. Cela’s novel introduced tremendismo, a style characterized by stark language, violence, crime, and the brutality of human beings. Nada, on the other hand, depicted the consequences of the Civil War through everyday characters suffering
Read MoreSpanish Literary Movements: Realism, Modernism, and Generations
Realism
Realism, emerging in the second half of the 19th century, reflects everyday life and social realities. It objectively and plausibly depicts truth in all aspects, particularly in late 19th-century Spain.
Lyrical Poetry
Ramón de Campoamor, known for his anti-romanticism, explored themes of dolor (pain) and humor (mood).
Theater
Theater flourished with José Echegaray, who developed the ‘high comedy’ or ‘comedia alta’.
Narrative
The Spanish literary realist tradition, influenced by European realism,
Read More