Spanish Post-War Literature: Novel, Poetry, Theater
Cela: *The Family of Pascual Duarte* and Social Trends
The Family of Pascual Duarte inaugurated a trend of social novels. The Hive, in 1951, introduces new plot elements (sequence) and sometimes even inaugurated objectivism. The omniscient narrator gives his opinion and utilizes a collective character to reflect life in post-war Madrid. The novel articulates itself in sequences, contrasting the lives of its characters, and has an open ending. The style mixes tones, counteracting irony with lyrical
Read MoreSpanish Literature: From Medieval to 20th Century
Key Stages in Spanish Literature
Medieval Literature (11th-14th Centuries)
Early Medieval (Popular Lyric):
- Jarchas (10th-13th centuries)
- Cantigas de amigo (13th-14th centuries)
- Villancicos (15th century)
Learned Poetry (Mester de Clerecía, 13th-14th centuries):
- Gonzalo de Berceo (Milagros de Nuestra Señora)
- Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita (Libro de Buen Amor)
Medieval Epic (Mester de Juglaría, 12th-14th centuries):
- Cantar de Mio Cid (Chanson de Geste)
- Romances (15th century)
Medieval Prose:
- 13th Century: Alfonso
Manrique’s Couplets & the Spanish Ballad
Couplets of Don Jorge Manrique on the Death of His Father
Couplets of Don Jorge Manrique on the Death of His Father, which he composed as an elegy on the death of his father in 1476, is one of the most perfect and emotional funeral compositions of Castilian lyric poetry. This work is formed by 40 couplets of two broken-foot sextinas, also called Manriquean stanzas. In general, each stanza develops a complete idea in itself.
Regarding the internal structure, we can distinguish three parts:
- Couplets
European Avant-Garde Movements: A Post-WWI Analysis
European Avant-Garde Movements After World War I
After the First World War, a new understanding of art emerged in Europe, lasting until the Second World War. The most committed movements encompassed several key characteristics:
- Simultaneity: International movements that appear and disappear quickly.
- Antitraditionalism: Vigorously defending originality and rejecting the past.
- Experimentation: Breaking language rules, mixing text with icons.
- Irrationalism
- Independence: The poet translates the apparent reality,
Spanish Narrative Evolution: 1960s to Present
Stylistic Linear Narrative
Objectivity/Realism (narrator observer, direct language, dialogues, simple style). Temporary concentration.
Authors
Collective characters: Aldecoa Ignacio, Fernandez Santos, Sanchez Ferlosio, Caballero Bonald.
The Novel of the Year ’60
The publication in 1962 of Tiempo de Silencio (Time of Silence), by Luis Martín-Santos, started a new phase in Spanish narrative. Several factors influenced the development of this new narrative, such as:
- The influence of foreign reformers
- The
Roman Society, Culture, and Urbanism: A Comprehensive Look
Roman Society, Culture, and Urbanism
In the beginning, citizens were only the inhabitants of the city of Rome. However, as the Empire grew, people from other places demanded the same status. That’s how citizenship spread, first to the inhabitants of Italy and, in the 3rd century AD, with Emperor Caracalla, to all free men in the Empire.
Pyramidal Society
Roman society was organized as a pyramid with a minority of powerful and wealthy people at the top and a majority of ordinary people at the base.
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