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Spanish Realism: Historical Context and Characteristics

Realistic literature reflects the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural development of Spain between 1868 and 1874. This period saw a democratic revolution, beginning with the overthrow of Isabel II and including the Regency of General Serrano, the brief parliamentary monarchy under Amadeo I, and the First Republic. The era ended with a coup that returned the crown to the Bourbons, initiating the Restoration with the reign of Alfonso XII.

Socioeconomic and Cultural Changes

Economically, Spain experienced industrial development and increased trade. Socially, there was a progressive rise of the bourgeoisie, and industrialization led to the growth of the proletariat. Significant discoveries... Continue reading "Spanish Realism in Literature: 19th-Century Society" »

Medieval Spanish Lyric and Epic Poetry

The lyric was composed to be recited but also to be sung. It was always accompanied by music and gentlemen troubadours. Clerics or nobles from southern France originated the courtly lyric, with the Provencal language and artistic intention. The beloved theme was the court. Idealization of love pays homage and creates a code where the poet devotes his life to love, not to praise a lady who reciprocates. This is the lyric of Provence.

Lirica Mozarabic: Christians lived in Muslim territory, and jarchas were preserved, an ancient manifestation of European literature. These short, learned poems were inserted at the end of Hebrew or Arab moaxajas. They show Christian coexistence and relations with Muslims. The... Continue reading "Medieval Spanish Lyric and Epic Poetry: Forms and Themes" »

Don Quixote: A Literary Analysis

Editions:

• 1st Edition: 1605, as The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Includes a foreword and 52 chapters in 4 parts.
• 2nd Edition: 1615, featuring knight Don Quixote. Includes a prologue and 74 chapters without division.

Sources: Besides the narrative models in the initial chapters, the work shows the influence of an anonymous 16th-century romance interlude.

Prologue: Cervantes' Intent

Cervantes states his initial intention to critique the poorly written and unbelievable novels of chivalry. He parodies the chivalric genre, making chivalric narration an essential ingredient of the book.

Structure of the Novel

The main action is organized into three parts: the first and second in the first half, and the third... Continue reading "Don Quixote: Analysis of Themes, Structure, and Narrative" »

One Morning

He explains how he saved Rollat's breakfast with Teresa and Armanda in Masdeu. He went to get breakfast for her, but she had died. Masdeu got a red tie to celebrate it but was very sad. We noticed how the garden was slowly deteriorating, and its initial color.

Youth

It is the memory of Teresa. He remembers the first day he fell in love with Masdeu, explaining step by step how they met. At the foot of a dune, he saw a portrait and bent down to pick it up: it was a guy dressed in a garment, underpinning a rifle with a bayonet, puffing on a drum. A voice asked, "Do you like it?" He turned and was in front of the rifle that the soldier was holding in Masdeu.

They also explain how the love between the two developed to the point that Teresa... Continue reading "Sofia's Journey: Love, Loss, and Legacy in Valldaura" »

Narrative Texts

Narrative is the telling of real or imagined events that happen to characters in a specific place and time. In every narrative, there is a story (the series of events that have occurred in reality or in the fiction we imagine) and a discourse (which is the expression of those facts, with order and structure).

Elements of Narrative

• Author: The real person who writes the story.
• Narrator:
  • Third-person: Tells what happens to others.
    • Omniscient Narrator: Knows everything, even the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
    • Absent Narrator: Only accounts for the most visible or external aspects.
  • First-person: Can tell what happened to them as the protagonist of an autobiography (e.g., Lazarillo de Tormes).
  • Witness Narrator: Tells what they

Part of Don Quixote

DQ First Departure: Chapters 1-6

Alonso Quijano, believing himself a knight, seeks an appropriate name, chooses a lady, and names his horse. The adventures of the knight always go wrong. After being beaten, a neighbor recognizes him, and he returns to the village.

Second Exit: Chapters 7-52

They seek a servant. Sancho and DQ come to Sierra Morena.

Second Part of Don Quixote

Third Exit: 74 Chapters

DQ and Sancho leave their village and travel towards Barcelona in Aragon. After arriving in Barcelona, DQ duels with the Knight of the White Moon on the beach, loses, and is obliged to return to his village for a year. Shortly after arriving, DQ falls ill, recovers his sanity, and dies.

Intent of Don Quixote

Cervantes wrote Don Quixote... Continue reading "Don Quixote and the Baroque: A Literary Journey" »

Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936)

The lyrics of Federico Garcia Lorca possess great musicality, both when the poet uses traditional metrics—the octosyllabic in gypsy romances—and in avant-garde compositions like Poet in New York, in predominantly free verse. Another stylistic feature is the plasticity of his images, which have a clear relationship with the surrealist movement. Federico Garcia Lorca's poems depict human tragedy, where higher forces, represented by social conventions, political trends, and, above all, death, prevent happiness. Other notable works of this poet's lyrics, who is probably the best known of his generation, include the Poem of Flamenco Singing and the elegy mourning the death of Ignacio Sánchez Mejías.

Vicente

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and His Rhymes

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, born in 1836 and who died in 1870, belonged to the Romantic movement of the first half of the nineteenth century in Spain. This period was historically marked by three events that determined the literary tradition and the orientation of the authors: the War of Independence, the reign of Fernando VII, and the reign of Elizabeth II. The latter's start was stormy due to power struggles that generated political instability. Romanticism is characterized by the rejection of reality and escape into an imaginary world, the analysis of privacy, defense of the author's freedom, and the importance of landscape and environment.

Bécquer's Rhymes were written between 1857 and 1868 but were not... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Bécquer's Rhymes and Clarín's La Regenta" »

Medieval Prose

The Middle Ages saw the birth of prose in Castilian (until the 13th century, works were written in Latin).

The Toledo School of Translators was an important institution responsible for translating books into Castilian from Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic.

During the 14th century, prose took on a didactic intent, epitomized by Don Juan Manuel. His most famous work is The Count Lucanor (51 short stories), which follows this schema: The Count, the employer, has a servant who tells a story to his master each time he seeks practical advice on something.

• Topics: Varied teachings that share a common goal.
• Characters: Also very varied, including historical or real figures.
• Structure: They begin with the formulation of a question, which is answered

The Baroque Period: An Overview

The Baroque period represents a significant shift from Renaissance thought, transforming technical and stylistic approaches in the 16th century. Key characteristics include:

• Originality: A focus on creating a unique and impactful experience for the audience.
• Personal Wit: Artists displayed a highly individual and original style.
• Exaggeration: Works often featured exaggerated elements, sometimes making them difficult to understand.
• Disillusionment: Reflecting a sense of falsehood and disillusionment with the world.

Conceptismo

Conceptismo, with Quevedo as its most prominent figure, emphasized the meaning of words, aiming to convey much with few words.

Culteranismo

Culteranismo, exemplified by Góngora, focused on the exaggeration... Continue reading "Baroque Art and Literature: Key Characteristics & Figures" »