18th Century Spanish Literature: Enlightenment and Neoclassicism
The Enlightenment in Spain
During the eighteenth century, Europe was strengthened by the Enlightenment, whose fundamental principle is the defense of reason as a source of knowledge. Initially, it was not as welcome in Spain as in other countries. In addition to a new form of government, the enlightened despot, whose motto was “Everything for the people, but without the people,” emerged. New schools were created, while the development of the sciences was shielded. The Enlightenment reduced the power
Read MoreA Guide to Literary Genres, Forms, and Figures
Prose and Verse
Prose is the form of expression most literary works use. It resembles everyday speech in its structure.
Verse is characterized by its musicality. This is achieved through:
- Accents
- Rhyme
- Syllable count
Figures of Repetition
- Alliteration: Repetition of one or more phonemes in a verse to imitate a sound.
- Anaphora: Repetition of a word at the beginning of a verse or phrase.
- Parallelism: Repetition of similar syntactic structures.
- Pleonasm: Use of unnecessary words in a verse for emphasis and expressiveness.
Medieval Spanish Literature: Origins and Development
1. First Literary Texts in Castilian
1.1 Origins of Lyric Poetry
Jarchas: Short ditties written in Mozarabic, representing the oldest manifestation of Romance lyric in Spain.
Galician-Portuguese Lyric: Influenced by educated and courtly poetry from Provence (13th-14th centuries). Topics include:
- Cantigas de Amigo: Love poems with an intimate tone.
- Cantigas de Amor: Love poems from a male perspective, often with a tone of suffering.
- Cantigas de Escarnio e Maldizer: Satirical, festive, and burlesque poems.
A Guide to Literary Genres, Forms, and Figures
Prose and Verse
Prose is the form of expression most literary works use. It resembles everyday speech in its distribution.
Verse is characterized by its musicality. This musicality is achieved by:
- Accents
- Rhyme
- Syllable count
Figures of Repetition
- Alliteration: Repetition of one or more phonemes in a verse to imitate a sound.
- Anaphora: Repetition of a word at the beginning of a verse or phrase.
- Parallelism: Repetition of similar syntactic structures.
- Pleonasm: Use of unnecessary words in the verse for emphasis
Realism and Regionalism in Latin American Novels: A Historical Overview
Novelistic Genre Before the 20th Century: Realism and Regionalism
The novelistic genre emerged relatively late in Latin America. El Periquillo Sarmiento by José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, published in Mexico in 1816, is considered the first Latin American novel. Romantic novels like María by Colombian author Jorge Isaacs and Amalia by Argentine author José Mármol followed, marking the beginning of Hispanic nature taking center stage in literature. Modernist approaches led to two novelistic
Read MoreModernism and the Generation of ’98 in Spanish Literature
MODERNISM
Definition
An artistic movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries characterized by a focus on aesthetics and a rejection of realism. Modernist writers, such as the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío, often used elaborate language and explored exotic or fantastical themes as a means of escaping the perceived vulgarity of everyday life.
Duration
Approximately thirty years, from 1880 to 1914.
Features
- Opposition to Realism and Romanticism.
- Expression of inner feelings.
- Focus on idealized,