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Spanish Literature: Existentialism and Social Realism (1940s-1950s)

The Novel of the Immediate Postwar Years (1940s): Existential Realism

Spanish literature of the 1940s is dominated by anxiety and uprooting. It can be divided into three main streams:

• The continuation of nineteenth-century realism and traditional narratives.
• An approach to the Civil War from the perspective of the victors.
• A new perspective marked by a group of novels centered on an anti-heroic character faced with an indifferent society, dealing with issues such as the bitterness of everyday life, loneliness, frustration, and death.

Key Authors and Works of the 1940s

Camilo José Cela

In 1942, Camilo José Cela published The Family of Pascual Duarte. The story focuses on Pascual Duarte,... Continue reading "Spanish Postwar Literature: Existentialism and Social Realism" »

In 1929, Federico García Lorca faced a profound personal and creative crisis. This period was largely a result of the misinterpretation of his acclaimed work, Gypsy Ballads, and the overwhelming success he struggled to manage. Deciding to seek a new perspective, he traveled with Fernando de los Ríos to study at Columbia University in New York. In the bustling metropolis, Lorca immersed himself, encountering new people, customs, and elements that he perceived as profoundly dehumanized.

Spain's Political Climate (1929)

Meanwhile, Spain was under the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera, a regime supported by the king. This era saw various repressions targeting opponents, including intellectuals. Concurrently, the consolidation of the Second Industrial... Continue reading "Poet in New York: Lorca's Transformative Journey" »

The Rise and Fall of Ancient Rome

Rome became an empire because it conquered many territories. These lands occupied a vast area, stretching from east Mesopotamia to the west, reaching Hispania. In the north, the empire extended to the British Isles, and in the south, it bordered the Sahara Desert.

Roman Society and Governance

In Ancient Rome, there were two primary types of social classes (excluding slaves):

• Patricians: These were the powerful, aristocratic families.
• Plebeians: This class comprised the rest of the free people.

The politicians belonged to the Patrician class. During the Monarchy, the king was often chosen by this class as well.

Key Political Institutions

Key institutions of the Roman civilization included:

• The Comitia (assemblies)
• The

Rhetorical Devices

• Metaphor: A word used in place of another which has a similar meaning.
• Comparison: The presentation of one reality as identical to another.
• Metonymy: The container which replaces the contents.
• Personification: Attributing human qualities to animals, things, or concepts.
• Alliteration: Repetition of the same sound.
• Paronomasia: A wordplay involving two words that differ by only one phoneme.
• Anaphora: Repetition of one or more words at the beginning of verses or sentences.
• Hyperbaton: The inversion of sentence order.
• Asyndeton: The elimination of conjunctions as links between sentences.
• Polysyndeton: The presence of repeated and unnecessary conjunctions.
• Epithet: An adjective that underscores an inherent quality of the noun.

Notable Catalan

The Avant-Garde Movements

The avant-garde: A combination of movements that rejected traditional art forms and championed experimentation, adopting new themes and forms of expression. Key movements include:

• Literary Creationism: Sought to create an original reality within the work itself.
• Surrealism: Aimed to express the emotions and thoughts of the subconscious.

The New Novel of the Early Century

Key authors and works include:

• Marcel Proust (1871-1922): Author of In Search of Lost Time.
• Franz Kafka (1883-1924): Expressed the anguish of the human condition in novels like The Trial and The Metamorphosis.
• James Joyce (1882-1941): Wrote Ulysses, which transposes the plot of Homer's Odyssey to contemporary Dublin.

The Novecentismo

In the second decade of... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Avant-Garde to Post-Franco Era" »

Modernism in Galician Literature

Modernism in Galicia addresses evasion issues and seeks to give precedence to sensory musicality. This modality belongs to works such as No Desterro, Vento Mareiro, and Da terra asoballada.

Narrative Poetry and Symbolism

Narrative poetry, such as the legend of St. Amaro, provides a descriptive account of the life and work of the monastery where he rested. The peak of this creativity occurred during the maximum splendor of Galicianism, supported by the Seminar of Galician Studies.

• Cabanillas: Connects Galicia to universal myths, such as the Grail in O Cebreiro and Excalibur in Sálvora.
• Style: The poetry is fraught with heavy symbolism and modernist adjectivation.
• Meter: Ballads often combine the Alexandrine verse,

Biography of Federico García Lorca

Federico García Lorca (1898–1936) was a renowned poet and the leader of his own theatrical company, La Barraca. He felt that the commercial theaters of his time lacked depth, so he used his theater to educate and transmit culture. Lorca studied music and played the guitar; he graduated in Law but did not practice. He was a man of leftist ideology and was openly homosexual, which ultimately led to his murder in 1936.

Key Themes and Influences

In Lorca's works, his personal presence is always felt, and the main characters are predominantly women. He was a prominent member of the Generation of '27. His life can be divided into three stages: his youth and early work, his travels to New York and the Second Republic... Continue reading "Federico García Lorca: Life, Works, and Literary Legacy" »

Magna Graecia and the Origins of Rome

Magna Graecia: Areas in Southern Italy and Sicily, occupied by Greeks. In the Plain of Latium, the Latins (pastoralists and farmers) merged into a federation called the Septimonium (seven mountains), which refers to the hills occupied: Palatine, Aventine, Esquiline, Quirinal, Caelian, Viminal, and Capitoline.

The Founding of Rome

Year: Spring 753 BC. The history of Rome is divided into three periods:

• Monarchy: 7th century BC – 6th century BC
• Republic: 5th century BC – 1st century BC
• Empire: 1st century BC – 5th century AD

Kings of Rome

The King assumed absolute powers by imperium (governmental authority). Symbols included the purple robe, golden crown, scepter, curule chair, and the fasces.

• 1st King: Romulus

Foundations of Language and Writing Systems

Key Terminology in Classical Studies (Glossary)

CIDA:

Chrace death: power

NOMOS:

Treaty, law

ARCH:

Power, rule

ETNOS:

Race, people

DEMOS:

Town, region, people

POLIS:

City, city-state

The Indo-European Language Family

Indo-European languages are believed to be derived from a hypothetically reconstructed language (often referred to as Proto-Indo-European or PIE) spoken by people from the southern Russian steppes, which spread across Europe and Asia. Although there are no written records of PIE, it is reconstructed from the languages derived from it, which fall into several language families.

Major Branches of Indo-European Languages

1. Italic Languages:
   • Latin: The official language of the Roman Empire, from which the Romance

Spanish Baroque: An Era of Social and Political Crisis

The 17th century, known as the Baroque era, was a period defined by social and political crisis. While the bourgeoisie social class became increasingly important, an absolute monarchy was maintained to prevent them from seizing power. This era was marked by a lack of work, leading to a rise in rogues and beggars, and a deeply pessimistic view of life. Literature of this time reflects an obsession with the passage of time and the inevitability of death.

17th Century Poetry: Quevedo and Luis de Góngora

Baroque poetry evolved from earlier stages without a complete rupture, focusing instead on originality and complexity. Key trends included:

• A taste for artificial difficulty.
• Descriptive poetry