Spanish Literature in the 18th Century: Poetry, Theater, and Neoclassicism
Read MorePoetry
Ignacio de Luzán’s work brought poetic, classical forms to Spanish literature, imposing French trends. This included teaching sentimental and Anacreontic themes. Poets gathered at gatherings, the most prominent being that of St. Sebastian, founded by Nicolás Fernández de Moratín in Madrid. The Salamanca group, whose most important poet was Meléndez Valdés, cultivated a poetry close to the pre-Romantic school of Seville, whose main representative was Pablo Forner. Several stages occurred
King Lear and The Gardener’s Dog: Summaries of Two Classic Plays
King Lear: A Tragedy of Betrayal and Reconciliation
King Lear, a tragedy by William Shakespeare, tells the story of an aging king who decides to divide his kingdom among his three daughters based on their declarations of love. He disowns his youngest and most sincere daughter, Cordelia, after she refuses to flatter him, favoring his older daughters, Goneril and Regan, who shower him with false affection.
Cordelia marries the King of France and leaves her father’s home. Regan marries the cruel Duke
Read MoreMiddle English Literature: 1066-1485
Middle English Period: 1066-1485
Medieval English literature is commonly dated between 1100/1150 and 1500, or more precisely between 1066 (Battle of Hastings) and 1509 (death of Henry VII and accession of Henry VIII).
Middle Ages: A Time of Transformation
The Middle Ages was a period of military struggle, political and religious unrest, increasing nationalistic spirit, and the consolidation of a national identity in social affairs, politics, religion, language, and arts. The year 1066 marked the beginning
Read MoreEvolution of Education in England: 19th and 20th Centuries
Education in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Education for the Poor in the Early 19th Century
At the beginning of the 19th century, there was no state-run education system in England.
- All schools were privately run.
- Parents had to arrange and pay for any schooling.
- Most children, especially those of poor parents, received little or no schooling.
Dame Schools
- These small schools were typically run by an older woman.
- They provided a place to leave children while parents were out to work.
- Education was limited
Spanish Literature: Ballads and La Celestina
Spanish Ballads: Forms, Themes, and Style
The ballad encompasses a wide range of compositions, including romances, epic poems, and lyrical or epic-lyric poems. These typically feature an undetermined number of eight-syllable lines with assonant rhyme in pairs. Traditional forms and themes have been collected and transmitted orally from generation to generation.
Types of Ballads
- Old Ballads: Anonymous works dating from an unknown source to the mid-sixteenth century.
- New Ballads: Texts written since the
Baroque Literature in 17th Century Spain: Styles & Key Authors
Baroque Literature in 17th Century Spain
The Baroque: Thought and Literature
Baroque Mentality
Baroque mentality is characterized by a sense of skepticism and pessimism, considered critical due to the political, economic, and social development of Spain. This is reflected in the following points:
- Disillusionment with the World: The beauty of reality is a mere appearance, deceit, and lies. Only the ugliness of man’s life is misery, full of sorrow and weakness. A negative view of everything human.
- Fear