Literary Theory, Genres, and Key Concepts
Structuralism and Poststructuralism
- Structuralism:
- Language structures thought (Saussurean linguistics).
- Key concepts: signifier (word) and signified (concept).
- Focuses on universal structures (e.g., myths, binaries).
- Meaning is stable, based on differences within a system.
- Poststructuralism:
- Critiques Structuralism’s stability of meaning (Derrida).
- Meaning is fluid and context-dependent (deconstruction).
- Challenges binary oppositions (e.g., good vs. evil).
- Emphasizes power, knowledge (Foucault), and intertextuality
Concepts of Beauty, Art, and Aesthetics
Defining Beauty
Virtue of the nature and works of art and literature, which causes our enjoyment and thus attraction and love for such property.
The ancient Greeks wrote of a number of features of beauty: light, symmetry, proportion, and persuasive power.
Plato reflects on beauty in several works, seeking its definition, the idea of beauty, and “objective beauty of love.”
Kant indicates values in judgments about beauty and taste, classifying their types: pleasant, beautiful, and selfless pleasure. He
Read More18th Century Spain: Society, Culture, and Literature
Historical and Cultural Context
Society and Culture: Absolute monarchy was imposed on the church. Socially, the bourgeoisie grew while the nobility and clergy maintained their privileges. The culture valued the philosophy of science and disseminated theories about social welfare, humanitarianism, and deism. It advocated a utilitarian or didactic art.
Aesthetic: Neoclassicism: The model is inspired by Greco-Roman and Renaissance architecture and is designed to reflect good taste. It aspires to be elegant,
Read MoreDon Quixote: Analysis of Themes, Characters, and Style
Don Quixote: A Literary Exploration
The Plot: Don Quixote’s Adventures
The novel Don Quixote follows the adventures of Alonso Quijano, who renames himself Don Quixote, and his squire, Sancho Panza. Don Quixote, inspired by chivalric romances, sets out to revive knight-errantry and right the world’s wrongs. After being knighted in an inn he imagines to be a castle, he embarks on various adventures, often ending up injured. Eventually, the priest and barber from his village trick him into returning
Read MoreCatalan Language and Modernist Literature: History and Key Figures
The Catalan Language: A Historical Overview
The official status of the Catalan language has been a subject of contention. While there have been efforts to establish it officially, the state has often resisted.
- Commonwealth of Catalonia (1914): Elaboration of rules for grammar, spelling, and lexical units, which later extended to Valencia and the Balearic Islands (current rules).
- Primo de Rivera Dictatorship: Prohibited the use of the Catalan language.
- Second Republic: Catalan was reinstated and established
Victorian Novels: Social Commentary and Literary Legacy
The Victorian Novel: Social Commentary and Literary Legacy
The Victorian novel, a defining literary force during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), stands as a powerful and multifaceted reflection of the era’s dynamic social, economic, and intellectual transformations. Characterized by their substantial length, intricately woven plots often encompassing multiple narrative threads, and a diverse cast of well-developed characters drawn from various strata of society, these novels aimed to provide
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