17th Century Spanish Literature: Baroque Period
17th Century Literature: The Baroque
Historical and Social Context
The 17th century was a historic moment of national crisis in Spain:
- Economic Crisis: Wealth from the New World was not adequately invested, leading to increased poverty.
- Spanish Decadence: The country faced constant war and the expulsion of Jews and Moors.
- Emigration to America: Some areas were depopulated due to emigration.
Definition and Major Characteristics
There is a great contrast between the 16th and 17th centuries. The optimism
Read MoreCatalan Poetry: Exile, War, Landscape, and Struggle
Carles Riba: “T’evocaré de lluny…”
“T’evocaré de lluny…” by Carles Riba represents sadness for something lost. Written by the professor while in exile in Bierville, France, after the Spanish Civil War, the poem uses the temple of Súnion as a symbol of enduring classical Greek culture. Riba, forced to emigrate from Catalonia because he was on the losing side of the war, draws a parallel between his situation and the resilience of Greek culture.
The poem is composed of modules consisting of
Read MoreSpanish Literature in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Moratín
His comedies adhere to the rules of “good taste” and the three unities (time, place, and action). Classical and Renaissance playwrights established that a play had to be developed in one place, over one day, and with a single action. His works maintain a moral and educational background. Moratín’s comedies are well-constructed and masterfully resolved. They are also characterized by their style and the psychological care given to some characters. Moratín “performs a continuous one of his
Read MoreBallads: History, Origins, and Characteristics
The Old Ballad:
Literary Genre: Ballads, an old form, are a set of romances that were sung in the late Middle Ages. Some examples have survived from the 15th century and especially the 16th. Old ballads have a dual nature: they are a genre of oral origin and popularity in the late Middle Ages, but they are also subject to the conventions of written texts, since they were compiled at the dawn of the Renaissance era, which saw a revaluation of popular forms. This revaluation continued through the 16th
Read MoreMedieval English Literature: Authors and Works
High Medieval Literature (1066-1485)
During the High Middle Ages, literacy was limited, primarily accessible to those connected to the Church or the nobility. The earliest written work is the “Caedmon’s Hymn,” an early poem in Old English. Another notable work from this period is “Beowulf,” classified as an epic. Art, literature, and science flourished within the Christian culture, which preserved and transmitted knowledge. Key characteristics of this era include:
- Most literature was anonymous.
- Originality
18th Century Spanish Literature: Neoclassicism & Enlightenment
Historical Context
At this time, despotism began to prevail in Europe. Spain entered a period of French influence, where monarchs were surrounded by an enlightened minority.
Language and Literature in 18th Century Spain
The ideal language was clarity, imposing new customs and modernization. In literature, likelihood and reasonableness were emphasized, and genres such as essays and plays were favored. This century is divided into several periods: Posbarroco and Illustration, which in turn is divided
Read More