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Novocentismo and the Avant-Garde in Spain

Vanguardia (avant-garde) desired Novocentismo, renovation, and modernization, focusing on two movements: Novocentismo and the avant-garde.

Novocentismo

Authors belonging to this movement had a strong intellectual background. They were worried about the situation in Spain but discussed it differently than the Generation of '98 authors.

Authors

• The sharp José Ortega y Gasset disseminated new ideas through essays such as The Dehumanization of Art.
• Ramón Pérez de Ayala and Gabriel Miró.

The Avant-Garde

The avant-garde comprised artistic movements characterized by their eagerness to renovate art and culture.

Movements

• Futurism: Characterized by extolling the mechanical and technical civilization.
• Cubism: First

Spanish Poetry in the Second Half of the 20th Century: Trends, Authors, and Representative Works

1950s: Social Poetry

Poets felt the need to provide critical testimony of reality and adopt an attitude of commitment to the situation in Spain. Key works include Cantos Íberos and Pido la paz y la palabra (I Ask for Peace and the Word) by Gabriel Celaya, and Que trata de España by Blas de Otero, published in 1955.

Key themes:

• The issue of Spain
• Social injustice
• Alienation
• Longing for freedom

The language is clear, sometimes mundane, and the tone is colloquial, but it uses many rhetorical resources.

1960s: Poetry of Knowledge

By the end of the 1950s, a group of poets emerged who sought further elaboration of poetic language and a shift from the collective... Continue reading "Spanish Poetry & Theater: Mid-20th Century to 1970s" »

Baroque Literature

Baroque (17th Century Spain)

Characteristics

A cultural movement responding to the decline of Spain in the 17th century.

• Politics & Economy: Crisis and decline.
• Society: Increased power and wealth for the nobility, greater poverty for the masses.
• Ideology: Pessimism and disillusionment.
• Culture & Literature: Artistic splendor, complexity, and contrast.

Baroque Theater

Characteristics

• Three acts.
• Two intertwined plots.
• Mix of tragic and comic elements.
• Emphasis on action.
• Themes of love and honor.

Character Types

• Gallant/Lady
• Father/Brother
• Clown
• Powerful figure (e.g., King)

Key Authors

• Lope de Vega (Fuenteovejuna)
• Calderón de la Barca (Life is a Dream)

Baroque Poetry

Characteristics

• Blend of seriousness and humor.
• Renaissance themes with

The Debate

An argumentative text where participants, guided by a moderator, exchange opinions. It's an oral, spoken text with distinct parts: presentation, discussion, and closure.

Modernism

A literary movement from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reflecting the era's crisis. Characteristics:

• Profound spiritual and aesthetic renewal
• Emphasis on sensory and idealistic aspects
• Incorporation of sensation
• Recovery of classical and free verse

Rubén Darío

A key figure in Modernism, known for formal novelty and rupture. His first book, Azul, combined verse and prose, showcasing metric and verbal innovations. Dominant themes: social issues, eroticism.

End of the Century: Generation of '98

Writers like Miguel de Unamuno, Antonio Machado, and Pío Baroja... Continue reading "Spanish Literary Movements: Modernism and Generation of '98" »

Spanish Pre-Renaissance and Renaissance Literature

The Renaissance emerged in Italy during the 14th Century. Key authors included Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio.

The Spanish Renaissance

The Spanish Renaissance is typically divided into two stages:

• 1st Stage: Pre-Renaissance (15th Century) - A period of transition. Christian, political, social, and moral creations were based on two parallel lines:
  • Traditional Folk Poetry (lyric traditional ballads)
  • Courtly Literature (poetry, courtly romances, and books of chivalry)
• 2nd Stage: Renaissance (t-5) - This designation refers to a later period.

Transition and New Thought

In the transition from the medieval period to the Renaissance, a new thought emerged: Humanism. This was the germ of a new vision of life,... Continue reading "Spanish Pre-Renaissance Literature and Poets" »

The Generation of '27: A Pinnacle of Spanish Poetry

In the 1920s, a group of poets reached maturity, producing a moment of brilliance in Spanish poetry. The principal authors were: Pedro Salinas, Jorge Guillén, Vicente Aleixandre, Rafael Alberti, Federico García Lorca, and Luis Cernuda.

Naming the Group: The Generation of '27

This influential literary movement was called the Poetic Generation or Group of '27. The year 1927 marked the centenary of the death of the poet Luis de Góngora, and the group acted to reclaim his legacy. Among the group members, there were many unifying points:

• Strong Friendships: Their friendships and the publication of their first books began in the early 1920s. These friendly relations extended through the Civil War

Understanding Romanticism

Romanticism was an artistic and literary movement that triumphed in the mid-nineteenth century. Its development was influenced by social and political changes that definitively settled the last vestiges of the old regime.

Historical Context

The French Revolution, occurring in the late eighteenth century, provided political, ideological, and social benefits that spread throughout Europe.

The Industrial Revolution began in England in the late eighteenth century and spread throughout Europe during the nineteenth century.

Key Features of Romantic Literature

Mariano José de Larra is a leading author of the Romantic period.

Rebellion

Romantics questioned the morality of their time and bourgeois values.

Avoidance

Confrontation with... Continue reading "Understanding Romanticism: Key Aspects, Literature, and Authors" »

Understanding Spanish: Dialects, Linguistic Features, and Literary Romanticism

Regional Varieties of Spanish and Other Iberian Languages

• Castilian Spanish: Includes dialect forms such as Andalusian, Murcian, Extremaduran, and Canarian.
• Catalan: Spoken in Andorra, Roussillon (France), and by some communities in Morocco.
• Galician: Found in Southwestern, Northwestern, Central, and Eastern Europe.
• Euskera (Basque): Dialects include Biscayan, Gipuzkoan, High Navarrese, and Souletin-Labourdine.

Key Linguistic Characteristics

Phonetics

• Seseo: Pronunciation of 'z' and 'c' (before 'e' or 'i') as 's'.
• Yeísmo: Pronunciation of 'll' and 'y' as a single 'y' sound.
• Aspiration or Loss of 's': Aspiration or complete loss of the phoneme 's' at the end of a syllable.

Federico Garcia Lorca

Lorca's drama is written in verse and prose and is characterized by tragic lyrical feeling. Frustration, love, and unsatisfied desire are recurring themes in his theater. Among his works are farces such as The Shoemaker's Prodigious Wife, historical dramas like Mariana Pineda, avant-garde theater such as The Public, and rural tragedies like Yerma, Blood Wedding, and The House of Bernarda Alba. In his avant-garde theater, the playwright delves into experimental theater with The Public, a work that explores passionate love.

His rural tragedies include Blood Wedding, a play about the impossibility of love due to social differences; Yerma, a work where motherhood is frustrated and stressed; and The House of Bernarda Alba, considered... Continue reading "Federico Garcia Lorca, Unamuno, Azorín, and Baroja: Spanish Literature" »

Bernardi Graña: The Poet of the Sea

Born in Cangas do Morrazo, Bernardi Graña published his first book, Poems a Man Wanted to Live, in 1959 during his stay in Madrid. He graduated in Romantic Philology and taught both within and outside Galicia. He later returned to Cangas, where he currently resides.

While he also wrote plays and narrative, primarily in children's literature, it was in poetry that he developed his major work. His collection, Prophecy Poems of the Sea and Not Seeing Vigo and Cangas, earned him the nickname "Poet of the Sea," as its central theme revolves around the sea and seafaring life.

Other notable poetic works include Within Our Love for All the Fish, Sar Walked Up, and Anthem Green Light in November. Graña's poetry is... Continue reading "Prominent Galician Writers: Bernardi Graña & Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín" »