Castilian and Peninsular Languages: Origins and Evolution
Origin and Development of Castilian and Other Peninsular Languages
Pre-Roman Peoples
At this time, many languages were spoken in the Iberian Peninsula. Some were related to each other, but others had very different relationships and were also of unknown origin. Before the arrival of the Romans, there were two major areas:
- South, East, and Northeast of the Peninsula: Where non-Indo-European languages were spoken, specifically Tartessian, Iberian, Basque, and Punic in the south, east, and Balearic Islands.
Latin American Fiction: Mid-20th Century to Present
Spanish American Novel and Short Story: Second Half of the 20th Century
From the 1950s and 1960s, the emergence of Latin American fiction in the contemporary literary scene marked a dramatic change in this genre. This change was determined by two key moments:
- The emergence of magical realism.
- The consolidation of innovations by the Boom generation.
It is important to note that since the 1940s, the Latin American novel has had distinct characteristics that mark all subsequent narratives. These features
Ramon Llull and Ausiàs March: Catalan Literature
The Work of Ramon Llull
Work in Verse
Llull wrote The Council, approximately eight hundred verses, and two very human and sensitive poems: Desconhort and The Singing of Ramon. Desconhort is an important poetic work in which Llull takes stock of his life and confesses that he feels alone and despised.
Prose Work
- Book of Contemplation: An encyclopedic book that aims to prove the divine Trinity. It has 366 very long chapters, one for each day of the year.
- Book of the Order of Chivalry: Discusses the origin
Medieval Lyric Poetry and Epic Literature in Spain
Origins of Lyric Poetry
The origins of lyric poetry surfaced early on in all cultures because they are indicated through feelings. It was composed not only to be recited but also to be sung. It was always accompanied by music and was often sung by troubadours. A main theme was courtly love, which involved the idealization of the beloved, to whom the poet devoted his life to love and praise. This is known as Provençal lyric poetry.
Mozarabic Lyric Poetry
Mozarabic was the language of Christians living
Read MoreSpanish Poetry Evolution: Civil War to Present
Main Orientations of Spanish Poetry Since the Civil War
1930s: Re-humanization and Social Context
In the 1930s, avant-garde experimentation gave way to a process of re-humanization in literature, reflecting the hectic social context of the time. Poetry became committed to reality, a feature accentuated during the Civil War.
1936-1939: Propaganda and the Rise of Miguel Hernandez
Between 1936 and 1939, both Republican and Nationalist sides developed propaganda. Poems became weapons of struggle, exalting
Read MoreHellenistic Poetry: Authors, Themes, and Influences
Hipponax of Ephesus
Hipponax of Ephesus lived most of his life outside his homeland as an exile. In the surviving fragments, he is very critical and mocks everything, including his life as a cynical beggar who knows the depths of the places where he lived.
Elegy
It was originally a song of mourning, perhaps sung at the funeral banquet. This genre was influenced by the epic form and the subject, used for expressing the needs and problems of the polis. The meter is the elegiac couplet.
Several poets wrote
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