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Trends in 20th Century Hispanic Fiction

Two major trends shaped the vision of authors in 20th-century Hispanic fiction:

• The Realistic Trend: Aimed to objectively reflect perceived reality.
• The Narrative Trend: Broke with the realistic view, influenced by Jorge Luis Borges and surrealism. This trend solidified in the 1960s, manifesting in various forms, including magical realism (integrating marvelous elements) and fantastic realism (incorporating irrational elements).

Later developments included testimonial literature of protest and denunciation in the late 1970s, postmodernism (experimental and anti-realist), and a resurgence of realism with elements of humor, feminism, and love, as seen in the works of Isabel Allende and Laura Esquivel.

Features

Medieval Terminology

Objects and Places

• Elm: Helmet.
• Palio: Canvas roof supported by four rods; shelter for processions.
• Wait: Sharp piece of metal on a boot heel for mounting.
• Lesson: Enclosed field for tournaments and fairs.
• Rest: Part of armor where a spear rests.
• Award: Garment or object given as a token of love.
• Papafigos: Hooded cloth covering the neck, leaving only eyes and nose exposed.
• Proa: Front of a boat.
• Popa: Back of a boat.
• Palermo: Capital of Sicily.
• Maroma: Thick rope of vegetable fiber.
• Keel: Long, curved piece under a boat, forming its base.
• Buc: Underwater part of a ship's hull.
• Ausberg: Robe made of iron rings (chainmail).
• Girth: Strap securing a saddle under a horse's belly.
• Rai: Raft of logs for river navigation.
• Throat: Narrow passage

Topic: The social corruption denounced by Berganza in the narrative of his life, the cynical philosophical disquisitions of both dogs on social conventions and the evil in the world. Argument Peralta read the book where Campuzano wrote a conversation between two dogs while sleeping. Campuzano. The reading begins with Berganza, who tells his life to his fellow Scipio. Berganza believed to have been born in Seville, perhaps in the slaughterhouse, where he had his first master, the butcher Nicholas Romo. He escaped from the cruelty of the butcher and later lived with pastors in the country, as guardian of the flock. Unable to find the master of the misdeeds of the shepherds, wolves, returns to Seville and serves a rich merchant. Out of loyalty... Continue reading "Berganza's Life: Social Critique and Cynical Philosophy" »

Spanish Theater After the Civil War

The Aftermath and Early Trends

After the Civil War, the Spanish theatrical landscape was marked by the exile and disappearance of major playwrights. Following the war, a national theater emerged, supported by the dictatorship and used to transmit its ideology. Both the State and the Church exercised rigid censorship.

Two main dramatic lines developed:

• Teatro de humor (Theater of Humor): Focused on portraying truth through humor. Notable authors include:
  • Enrique Jardiel Poncela (Los ladrones somos honrados - The Thieves Are Honest People)
  • Miguel Miura (Tres sombreros de copa - Three Top Hats)
• Comedia burguesa (Bourgeois Comedy): Aimed to educate through the praise of virtue. Works were characterized by perfect construction

Literary Movements in 20th-Century Spanish Prose

Azorín and Unamuno: Stylistic Innovations

Azorín's prose is dominated by simple sentences. Furthermore, the structure of novels was refreshing; for example, Unamuno chose to call his original stories nivolas.

Novecentismo (The 1900s Movement)

3.1 General Characteristics and Ideals

The ideas of Novecentismo have their roots in bourgeois reformism and the defense of republican ideals. The movement involved the appearance of a new type of intellectual discipline: a solid, college-preparatory education expanded abroad. Hence, Novecentists favored a disciplined and sober examination of problems, claiming objectivity and rationalist clarity, aimed at training minorities.

There are frequent statements of... Continue reading "Spanish Literary Movements: Novecentismo and Postwar Fiction (1939–1950)" »

Catalan Narrative and Drama: 1920–1939

Factors Driving the Catalan Novel (1920–1939)

The narrative of this time saw several factors contributing to the growth of the novel genre:

• Stocks of major writers.
• Literary prizes to encourage the creation of the genre.
• The birth of publishing houses.
• The emergence of literary criticism.

Major Aesthetic Models of the Catalan Novel

The primary aesthetic models included:

• The novel of the Modernist tradition.
• The psychological novel.
• The novel of humor and social criticism.

The Modernist Tradition Novel

Modernist authors reappeared during this period. The main topics covered the impact of individuals on the world around them. Techniques derived from naturalism and realism, but also received Russian influence.

Example:

La Galatea

In 1585, Cervantes published the first part of La Galatea, a pastoral novel centered on the theme of love. Its basic plot is simple, set in a confined space and over a very short time. This narrative incorporates several key elements:

• Interpolated Tales: The main storyline includes accounts of the love lives of shepherds.
• Poetry: While most of the book is written in prose, poetry is incorporated, reflecting the shepherds' poetic nature.
• Philosophical Debates: The novel offers philosophical discussions about love.

La Galatea is an unfinished novel; Cervantes promised a second part, which he never wrote.

Exemplary Novels

Cervantes' Exemplary Novels are diverse, encompassing realistic and idealistic narratives, critical and conformist perspectives,... Continue reading "Miguel de Cervantes' Masterpieces: Novels and Novellas" »

Romance in Spanish Literature

Romance: A romance is a series of indefinite assonant rhyming eight-syllable verses in pairs. The rhyme is the repetition of phonemes in the final verse from the last accented vowel. When all phonemes agree, it is a consonant rhyme, and when only the vowel sounds match, it is an assonant rhyme.

The Origin of Romance

Romance is an indefinite series of eight-syllable verses because they have no proper structure. They are an import of what were the "epics". These songs were oral poems, songs of people who were in town for minstrels. There comes a time when some parts of the most popular songs were made, then the people started again and learned, becoming a new poem. Thus, the romance was born. All parts did not remember... Continue reading "Understanding Romance in Spanish Literature: Definition and Characteristics" »

Spanish Literature in the 14th and 15th Centuries

The Evolution of Poetry and the Rise of Romance

Late 14th-century poetry saw a decline, giving way to shorter compositions with assonance and rhyme. A prominent form that emerged during this period was the Romance, characterized by short, oral poems composed of an indeterminate succession of octosyllabic lines rhyming in assonance in pairs.

Romances are broadly classified into two categories:

• Old Romances: Originating in the 15th and 16th centuries, these are characterized by their oral, traditional, and anonymous nature.
• New Romances: Emerging in later centuries, these are more elaborate, written, and often attributed to individual authors.

Origin and Formation of Romances

Two main theses explain... Continue reading "Spanish Literature in the 14th and 15th Centuries: Romances and La Celestina" »

Latin Literary Topics

• Beatus Ille: Praises country life over city life.
• Locus Amoenus: Presents the idealization of a paradise where man is in harmony with nature.
• Carpe Diem: Encourages seizing the moment. Widely used, especially in the Renaissance, it emphasizes enjoying every moment of life.
• Collige, Virgo, Rosas: Highlights unrecoverable youth and beauty; an invitation to enjoy love (symbolized by the rose) before time passes.
• Tempus Fugit: Time is intangible and cannot be stopped or retrieved. This phrase is a call to use time wisely.
• Ubi Sunt?: A lament; a rhetorical question about moments, places, or people lost to time, leaving only memories.

Lope de Vega

Biography

Félix Lope de Vega Carpio (1562-1635) explored nearly all literary genres of... Continue reading "Lope de Vega: Life, Works, and Literary Influence" »