Catalan Theater: Civil War to Contemporary Era
Catalan Theater: Civil War and Beyond
Theater During the Franco Regime: The Spanish Civil War was a setback for Catalan culture. The Franco regime forbade the use of the Catalan language and suppressed its institutions. Literature in Catalan was developed mainly in exile or underground. Theater was suppressed until 1946, when some performances resumed, though these shows suffered censorship and translation into Catalan was forbidden. Works from the nineteenth century (Guimerà, Pitarra) were performed,
Read MoreModernism in Spain and Latin America: A Deep Dive
Modernism in Spain and Latin America
Modernism focuses on two key areas: amplitude, the movement is a vital attitude in Spain and Hispanoamerica; its character patterns reaction against the bourgeois system.
Origins
Modernism emerged in Hispanoamerica as a subversive force and expression of resistance to bourgeois cultural mercantilism. Hispanoamerican modernism involved the claim of a new society with decolonizing intentions. Modernists reacted against materialism, imperialism, the bourgeoisie, and
Read MoreLope de Vega’s New Comedy: Features & Themes
Key Features of Lope de Vega’s New Comedy
Lope de Vega’s New Comedy (Comedia Nueva) blended elements of Greek theater (a mixture of religious and popular elements, and lyrical and dramatic elements) with freer forms. It deviated from the traditional Greek model in several ways:
- It offered a more relatable theater experience for families, covering a variety of historical and religious topics drawn from chronicles, ballads, and tradition.
- It reflected monarchical sentiments, honor, national pride, and
Medieval Spanish Literature: Mester de Juglaría and Clerecía
Mester de Juglaría and Mester de Clerecía
- Mester de Juglaría (Minstrelsy): Irregular metric verses, long runs of polymers, monorhymes in assonance.
- Mester de Clerecía (Clergy): Regular meter, stanza in rhyme, four Alexandrine verses, monorhymes in consonance.
Content
- Mester de Juglaría: Related to the epic. Aims to inform.
- Mester de Clerecía: Historical, religious, aims to teach.
Gonzalo de Berceo
Born in the late 12th and died in the mid-13th century. He was the first author with a known name. He
Read MoreKey Figures in Medieval Castilian Literature: Ruiz, Berceo, and Alfonso X
Key Figures in Medieval Castilian Literature
Juan Ruiz de Hita, Arcipreste
Nothing is known with certainty about this writer’s life, beyond the data he provides in his only work, The Book of Good Love. This is the most important work of clergy in the 14th century. It is an autobiographical work written in a way that reflects the new values provided by the bourgeoisie: the enjoyment of the pleasures of life. It also presents the continuing debate between religious and secular sense. The author’s intention
Read MoreMiguel Hernández: Exploring Themes of Love, Life, and Death
Love, Life, and Death in Miguel Hernández’s Poetry
The poetry of Miguel Hernández is pure vitalism, present in his life, blood, passion, war, and love in all its intensity, while death is a constant presence throughout life.
“Perito en lunas”
“Perito en lunas” is an homage to Góngora and an exercise in style, reflecting the intellectual trends of the Generation of ’27. Love, life, and death do not appear with great intensity in this work.
“El rayo que no cesa” (The Ray That Does Not Stop)
The theme
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