Spanish 18th Century: Bourbon Dynasty, Enlightenment, and Culture

Historical and Cultural Context of 18th-Century Spain

Political Issues Following the Death of Charles II

Following the death of Charles II without issue, there was a change of dynasty. The Bourbons took the throne of Spain. The Bourbon monarchs were French, reformist supporters of enlightened despotism. Don Felipe, grandson of Louis XIV, was named King of Spain with the name Felipe V. This situation triggered the War of the Spanish Succession between the monarchs and the Archduke of Austria. Felipe

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15th Century Transformations & Renaissance Literature

15th Century: A New Mentality

The transformations of the 15th century marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age. These transformations can be categorized as follows:

Transformations

  • Political Transformations: The restoration of royal authority and the emergence of states.
  • Economic and Social Transformations: The development of trade and cities brought about the rise of the bourgeoisie. Improved roads extended contact between people and their ideas.
  • Cultural Transformations: The creation
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Romanticism and Post-Romanticism: Key Movements & Authors

The Romantic movement, reacting against the emphasis on reason, embraced emotion and feeling. It championed the individual over the social, and freedom of conduct and creation over rigid rules. Romanticism developed in the 19th century, culminating trends that opposed Enlightenment rationalism. Originating in Britain and Germany, it quickly spread through Europe, notably via France.

Romantic authors claimed freedom in all spheres: political freedom, advocating for a liberal state; moral freedom,

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Spanish Literature and Theater Under Franco’s Dictatorship

Poetry in the 1940s

During the 1940s, the expression of religious and existential anxieties dominated Spanish poetry. Postwar poetry began with two books by authors of the Generation of ’27: Children of Wrath (Dámaso Alonso) and Shadow of Paradise (Vicente Aleixandre). Both opened the way for younger poets. These books reflect a pessimistic and anxious world, presented as a meaningless chaos. They show a deep dissatisfaction with reality.

Francoist Spain

Spain lived under the dictatorship of General

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Sonority, Syllable Structure, and Stress in English

Sonority Scale and Syllable Formation

The Sonority Scale (or sonority hierarchy) posits that sonority increases towards the syllable peak, typically occupied by vowels and other sonorant sounds, and decreases away from it. Obstruent sounds, with the lowest sonority, often mark syllable boundaries. The scale has seven levels:

  • 7-Vowels
  • 6-Glides
  • 5-Liquids
  • 4-Nasals
  • 3-Fricatives
  • 2-Affricates
  • 1-Plosives

The Sonority Sequencing Generalization (SSG) states that an optimal syllable has a sonority peak, optionally

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Spanish Romantic Authors: Bécquer, Espronceda, Zorrilla & Larra

Spanish Romantic Authors

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer

Bécquer, a sentimental, dreamy, and idealistic poet, employed a simpler technique than his romantic predecessors. His work, Rhymes, is divided into four sections and centers on the theme of women, often with a sentimental tone. He blends verses and stanzas, uses short lines with assonance and rhyme, and favors a language with few adjectives and frequent parallels.

Espronceda

Espronceda’s lyric poetry reflects the romantic spirit, oscillating between

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