Spanish Narrative Evolution: Civil War to Present
Spanish Narrative: From the Civil War to Today
1. Spanish Literature from the 1940s to Today
After the Spanish Civil War, storytellers began their work. A new literary tradition had to be created, breaking from the line breaks and avant-garde experimentation of the 1930s. Censorship was omnipresent in the post-war circumstances and in the novels of the 1950s. By the 1960s, the *content* ceased to be the key, and authors began to worry more about the *form* of narration. Since the 1970s, one cannot
Read MoreClassic Roman Life: Myths, Society, and Customs
History
Priam was the most handsome boy in the East, and Thisbe the fairest young woman. They lived in a city that Semiramis, queen of Babylon, had surrounded with walls. These young people loved each other and wanted to marry, but their families were opposed. They spoke from a distance using gestures, communicating through a crack in a wall that joined their two houses. After a few months, they decided to flee together and agreed to meet at a mulberry tree near the grave of a king. When Thisbe arrived,
Read MoreSpanish Renaissance Poetry: Lyrics and Religious Influence
The Lyrics in the Second Spanish Renaissance
Reasons for the Counter-Reformation
Pope Pius IV initiated the Counter-Reformation in 1560 in response to Protestant criticism, particularly after Charles I’s failure to maintain the empire united under the Catholic confession. Philip II thus became the champion of this movement.
- To prohibit young people from studying at foreign universities.
- To carefully monitor reading and current trends.
Second Poetic Renaissance: The Petrarchan Lyric
The Petrarchan lyric
Read MoreCatalan Avant-Garde Movements: Cubism, Futurism, and Surrealism
First Catalan Avant-Garde (1915): Cubism and Futurism
The first Catalan avant-garde movement coincided with similar movements in Europe. Barcelona was a city even more favorable than Paris to modern painting innovations. The starting point was the publication of the first Catalan language calligram (1915), “Ode to Guynemer,” stressed by the writer Joan Salvat-Papasseit.
Salvat-Papasseit was the first popularizer of the proletarian avant-garde. From a working-class family, he collaborated at a young
Read MoreLiterary Movements and the Generation of ’27: Key Aspects
Vanguard Movements and the Generation of ’27
Vanguards: Artistic movement arising from the loss of spiritual values in capitalist society between the 1st and 2nd World Wars in the early twentieth century. The youth’s end-of-century consciousness against the world of the ‘elders’ led to disaster. Characteristics include: anti-realism and autonomy of art; irrationalism; a desire for originality; and aesthetic experimentation.
Juan Ramon Jimenez
Works: Characterized by trends in the literature of the
Read MoreSt. John of the Cross: Mystical Poetry and Themes
St. John of the Cross: Mystical Poetry
St. John of the Cross’s poetry, though concise, holds a significant place in universal lyrical works. His poetic production explores the experience of mystical union with God. This union is expressed symbolically: a woman (the soul) searches for her beloved (God) through nature, which reflects divine love. She finds and merges with God in a poetic ecstasy of love.
Works
Among his works are short poems of popular character and three major poems:
- Spiritual Canticle: