History of the Spanish Language: From Origins to Golden Age
The Pre-Roman Languages of the Iberian Peninsula
The Romans arrived in Spain in 218 BC. At that time, the peninsula was inhabited by various peoples, each speaking their own language. Basque, or Euskera, is the only surviving pre-Roman language. Its origin is unknown, and it is currently spoken in the Basque Country.
Romanization and the Spread of Vulgar Latin
Romanization was a long period (3rd century BC – 5th century AD) during which Rome imparted its language, literature, art, administration,
Read MoreMedieval Lyric Poetry: Popular and Cultured Traditions
Popular Lyrics: Subject
Lyric poetry, known as the Middle Ages, refers to the set of anonymous poems transmitted orally by the people in the Iberian Peninsula from the 11th century.
Peninsular Events
There are three main events:
- The jarchas: Written in the Mozarabic dialect, the language of the Christians of al-Ándalus (from the 11th century).
- The cantigas de amigo: Composed in Galician-Portuguese (13th-14th centuries).
- The villancicos: Written in Castilian (14th-15th centuries).
Formal and Thematic Characteristics
They
Read MoreLatin American Narrative: Realism to Boom
Latin American Narrative in the Second Half of the 20th Century
Two Stages
The Latin American narrative in the second half of the 20th century can be divided into two main stages:
- Overcoming Realism: Initially, realism was the dominant form, represented by authors like Mariano Azuela and Ricardo Güiraldes. This stage saw the emergence of regional and indigenous novels, characterized by their realistic portrayal of diverse and magnificent nature, political conflicts, and social problems.
- The Emergence
Spanish and Latin American Poets: Mid-Century to Contemporary
Miguel Hernández (1910-1942)
Miguel Hernández, born into a humble family, was largely self-taught. He married Josefina Manresa, who, along with books provided by a friend, greatly influenced him. In 1934, he joined the Communist Party and later enlisted in the Republican army. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison and died of tuberculosis in 1942 in Alicante prison.
Key Works:
- Expert on Moons
- Lightning That Does Not Cease
- The Violated Whistle
- Wind of the People
- Man is a Hunter
- Songs and Ballads of Absences
Poets
Read MoreSpanish Theater in the Early 20th Century
Spanish Theater in the First Half of the 20th Century
The Spanish theater in the first half of the 20th century faced a dilemma: the drama requires viewers, but some are reluctant to the shocks that playwrights propose. Two main approaches emerged:
- Propose technically well-built works, with commercial and bourgeois characters, appealing to the viewer’s liking. This was the triumph of the so-called “critical theater.”
- Create an avant-garde theater that surprises the viewer with a high critical load.
Understanding Romance, Lyric Poetry, and Villancicos
Romance, Lyric Poetry, and Villancicos
Romance refers to compositions formed by any number of eight-syllable verses where the rhyme pairs together with the odd rhyme, and assonance is free. First romances are from the 14th century but are kept from the 15th and 16th. In the 12th century, it had a cult literary style (new ballad). Traditional theory consists essentially in showing how the minstrels, led by the fatigue that people show to the run, memorize passages that are most interesting and beautiful
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