Key Literary Genres and Dramatic Forms
Linguistic Concepts
The Passive Voice
The passive voice is formed with the verb “to be” acting as an auxiliary and the participle of the verb that is conjugated.
Nonpersonal Verb Forms
Nonpersonal forms (infinitive, gerund, and participle) lack person and number. They function like a noun, an adverb, and an adjective.
Dramatic Literary Genres
Dramatic Subgenres
Dramatic subgenres are classified into two types:
- Major: Tragedy, Comedy, and Drama
- Minor: Entremés (Interlude), Farce, etc.
Tragedy
Tragedy presents
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Modernism in Spanish Literature
Modernism: An art movement that led to a renewal in the musical aspects of lyrical language and ornamentals. Rubén Darío (1867-1916) is considered a precursor. Notable phonetic contrasts and colorful, plastic meanings of words are used, often as symbols and pictures (e.g., the abandoned garden, fall). Synesthesia is often used. It is considered a minor art.
Antonio Machado
Machado: Does not use many literary resources but expresses feelings very well. Solitudes (1903)
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Antonio Machado: Poetic Thought and Works
Antonio Machado: The poetic thought of intuition lived, temporal. Sleep: The only form of knowledge. Machado dreamed it all, but his poems also dream of nature.
Love: Little eroticism; the woman appears as a dream. This refers to the lack of love, due to his sadness because of time spent.
Soledades, Galerías y otros poemas: 1903 (Soledades), Galerías added in 1907. Great influence of Verlaine. The themes are the test of time, lost youth, dreams, the problem
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Galician-Portuguese Troubadour Poetry
The Galician-Portuguese tradition (with very similar languages at that time) developed distinct forms of troubadour song. While influenced by Provençal models like the austere and abstract cantiga d’amor and the more casual sirventés (or serventesio), Galician-Portuguese poetry is primarily known for the cantiga d’amigo, a literary version of the song of the girl in love as expressed in the Jarchas from around the 11th century. It also developed the cantiga
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Fray Luis de León
Maximum ascetic representative of lyric poetry. Defender of the vernacular language. His works are the result of demanding effort. He wrote prose and verse. His work can be divided into three groups:
Works of Fray Luis de León
- Poesía Original: Formed mostly by odas. The subjects are many and varied (e.g., “Ode to the Life of Withdrawal,” “Ode to the Calm of Night”).
- Translations of Classics: Translated verses of the odes of Horace and Virgil’s Eclogues.
- Las Traducciones Bíblicas:
Medieval Spanish Epic and Ballads
The Minstrel’s Role
The mester de juglaría (minstrelsy) springs from the inherent need for communication common in the Middle Ages. This work rested with the Minstrel (a poet telling of events and deeds of heroes through epics). The mission of the minstrel was to recite and/or dramatize works, touring villages and castles to entertain people. Besides telling stories, minstrels also enlivened holidays by singing and dancing.
The Cantar de Gesta (Epic Poem)
The cantar de gesta (epic poem) is an epic
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