Poetics in Antiquity: Key Concepts and Thinkers
Poetics: Creation and Imitation
Poiesis is akin to creation. Poets exist because they are creators. The idea persists that God created the world through words, leading to the belief that words possess creative power.
The Power of Words in Creation
Some believe words hold magical power over reality, citing examples like:
- Mantra: A series of syllables with religious meaning, believed to cause effects in reality if pronounced correctly.
- Wen: A rhythmic pattern found both in poetry and potentially in the
Inclán, Modernism, and the Generation of ’98: Key Themes & Authors
Inclán: A Varied Production
Inclán’s production is varied, passing through an elegant modernist critical position. His work has two stages. The first, modernist, includes sonatas in 1902: Estío (Summer), Otoño (Autumn), 1903: Primavera (Spring), 1904: Invierno (Winter) in 1905. The Marquis de Bradomín exalts them in a decaying world. Plays include Barbara Forman by: Eagle of Heraldry, 1907, Romance of Wolves 1908, and Silver Face 1922.
The Esperpento Period (1920s)
The esperpento period, exemplified
Read MoreModernism and the Generation of ’98: A Literary Analysis
Modernism and the Generation of ’98
Their themes and attitudes are consistent with those of poetry. The sensuality, the idealization, and stylization of reality are the basis of Valle-Inclán’s “Sonatas” and Juan Ramón Jiménez’s “Platero y yo,” peaks of modernist prose due to the accumulation of rhetorical devices and feelings, their escape from everyday reality, and their atmosphere of nostalgia and melancholy. The Generation of ’98 retains aspects such as the renewal of modernist language, impressionistic
Read MoreMachado’s Poetic Language: Style, Symbols & Philosophy
Poetry and Philosophy in Machado
Machado always saw a relationship between the poetic and the philosophical. Philosophers learned the art of metaphors from poets: Heraclitus’s river, Plato’s cave, Pythagoras’s lyre, etc. However, Machado perceived insurmountable barriers: the philosopher thinks outside of time, while the poet thinks within their own life in time. The philosopher uses logical thinking; the poet uses poetic thinking. The former captures essence. Machado stated the philosopher’s thought
Read MoreRomanticism: Key Themes, Poets, and Literary Works
Key Characteristics of Romanticism
Romanticism emphasized introspection, psychology, and melancholy, alongside a feeling of eternal discontent and the search for identity. A key characteristic was the ability to affect, giving importance to the concept of the sublime, and exploring themes of death, feelings, unattainable beauty, and nature.
Social Concerns in Romantic Poetry
Romanticism questioned societal norms, showing interest in and concern for outcasts such as tramps, beggars, obsessive characters,
Read MoreNature’s Role in American Literature: Transcendentalism vs. Naturalism
Nature’s Role in American Literature
In The Scarlet Letter, Nature stands in clear opposition to Puritan society. This opposition is symbolically manifested by the Prison Door and the Rosebush. The Prison, a place where criminals are punished for their sins, represents Puritan society. Prisoners, however, see a beautiful rosebush before entering the prison. The beauty of the rosebush is a reminder that Nature is sympathetic towards those people punished by Puritan society. This is even more clearly
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