Galician-Portuguese Medieval Poetry: Forms, Themes, and Authors
Friend Songs (Cantigas de Amigo): These are compositions in which the poet puts words into the mouth of a woman who pines for her lover. The fundamental argument revolves around unrequited love. This genre originates from primitive oral poetry that existed in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, often associated with dance, seafaring, and pilgrimages. The word “friend” appears in the first verses of these songs. The older examples have a fully indigenous character, are monologues, and develop
Read MoreLatin American Literature: Movements and Authors
Modernism and Postmodernism
Modernism reached its peak in the early 20th century, with Rubén Darío as its maximum representative. Postmodernism followed, characterized by a stylistic cleansing that moderated the excessive aestheticism of Modernism. It featured a lyrical expressiveness with sincere, human accents and a greater commitment to the social realities of each country. A prominent women’s group emerged during this stage, including:
- Delmira Agustini (Empty Chalices)
- Juana de Ibarbourou (
Roman History: Monarchy, Republic, and Empire
The Roman Monarchy (753-509 BC)
From this time, there is very little reliable data. Rome was ruled by a king, assisted by the Senate and the House of the town. Initially, kings of Rome and the Sabines alternated; the last three kings were Etruscans. It appears that there were seven kings, and the first was Romulus. He surrounded himself with a hundred men, also from neighboring areas. This group was the source of future patricians. They fought against the Sabines because they needed their wives,
Read MoreLove and Death: Themes in Miguel Hernández’s Poetry
Love in the Poetry of Miguel Hernández
Hernandian poetry, we would have to call it love poetry; not a single poem falls outside the meaning of love: love for a woman, a son, people, friendship, and life. M.H.’s loving injury manifests itself in his poetry. At an early stage, echoes are romantic and post-romantic. In the cycle of Expert on Moon, the theme of love is an intention of a sexual nature. In most of the poems, love acquires lightning accent; passion afflicts the poet, tormented by the absence
Read MoreThe Artistic Legacy of Federico Garcia Lorca
Federico Garcia Lorca: His work expresses his personality: intense vitality, the anxious shadow of death, and constant dualities: passion and technique, inspiration and work, the aesthetic and the human, popular and religious, traditional and avant-garde. His tragic fate, frustration, loneliness, and death are prevalent themes. Lorca expresses the pain of living, both his own and that of others, and his poetry tends to be quite dramatic.
First Stage: Youth and Early Works
Influenced by Bécquer and
Read MoreCatalan Literature in the 20th Century: Key Authors
The Narrative of the 20th Century
Following a period of stagnation in linguistic production, the 1930s marked a period of increased production in Catalan fiction. This was due to the growing number of publishers and specific collections devoted to Catalan literature, as well as the creation of literary awards. The psychological novel, which deeply analyzed the inner lives of characters, became prominent. New techniques, such as interior monologue, were introduced, allowing the character’s subconscious
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