Understanding Lyric Poetry: Forms and Characteristics
Lyric poetry is a distinct literary genre, separate from dramatic narrative. It is associated with poetic content, emotions, and a specific form: the verse. However, verse can also address other issues, such as in narrative poems like “Cantar de Mio Cid”. Additionally, poetry can exist in prose, as seen in “Platero and I” by Juan Ramón Jiménez. Therefore, lyric poetry represents a unique form of communication.
The author, the poet, presents a representation of reality, whether internal or external.
Read MoreSpanish Literature: Late 19th to Early 20th Century
Generation of ’98
The Generation of ’98 reflects the influence of irrational philosophies, such as existentialism and pessimism. These authors show a massive concern for the great themes of human existence in their works. They express concerns about the situation of Spain and attach particular importance to national and individual regeneration. Their national concern became the central theme of their works, exalting the landscape of peoples and raising awareness of distressing aspects of the national
Read MoreCervantes and 17th Century Spanish Prose: An In-Depth Look
Cervantes and 17th Century Spanish Prose
The 17th century saw a flourishing of prose in Spain, with Miguel de Cervantes and Francisco de Quevedo standing as the foremost creators in the field of narrative fiction. During this period, the idealistic novel of previous centuries lost ground to more realistic models, represented by Cervantes, the picaresque novel, and Baltasar Gracián. This century also witnessed a significant surge in historical prose, mysticism, and moral-political doctrine.
Cervantes’
Read MoreSpanish Literature: Juan Ramon Jimenez, Unamuno, Baroja, Dario
Juan Ramon Jimenez (1881-1958)
Juan Ramon Jimenez’s poetic trajectory (Huelva, 1881 – Puerto Rico, 1958) exemplifies the evolution of Spanish poetry in the early 20th century. His early works, such as Arias Tristes and Jardines Lejanos, display formal simplicity and the sensitivity of Bécquer. In 1908, influenced by R.D., Soledad Sonora was published, featuring formally complex poetry and vague, melancholic sadness. From 1916 onwards, with Diario de un poeta recién casado, his work shifted, abandoning
Read MoreSpanish Theater After the Civil War: 1940s Trends
Spanish Theater After the Civil War
The post-war Spanish theater was not as innovative as European theater, primarily due to commercial constraints (companies were subject to the tastes of a bourgeois public) and political conditions (limitations due to censorship).
On the one hand, in the theater of the post-war era, authors thrived with “fun” trivial or conformist works. On the other hand, “serious” authors found it difficult to break into commercial theater and did so in independent test theaters.
Read MoreAvant-Garde Movements and the Generation of ’27 in Spanish Literature
Avant-Garde Movements in Spanish Literature
Avant-garde movements, also called “isms,” tried to overcome rationality through the unconscious and the mind. Key movements include:
- Surrealism: Focused on the unconscious mind.
- Dadaism: Embraced the absurd and defended the art of chance.
- Ultraism: A reaction against modernism, emphasizing metaphor in novels and expressive language.
Spanish Isms
- Ultraism: Prominent writers included Juan Larrea, Gerardo Diego, and Rafael Cansinos Assens. They founded the magazine