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Spanish Post-Civil War Novel: Literary Evolution

The 1940s Literary Landscape

The Spanish novel of the 1940s was profoundly marked by exile, harsh censorship, and the promotion of idealistic novels that extolled the values of the Francoist regime.

Idealistic Novel

During the initial years of Franco's rule, propaganda-driven novels were published that glorified the war, the regime, and its values. Notable works include La fiel infantería by Rafael García Serrano and Javier Mariño by Gonzalo Torrente Ballester. There was also another idealistic narrative that sought to forget the war.

Existential Novel

This type of novel attempts to reflect everyday life. Its recurring themes include loneliness, the frustration of hopes, the uprooting of characters... Continue reading "Spanish Post-Civil War Novel: Literary Evolution and Key Authors" »

Roman Architecture

The Romans adopted Greek architectural elements, but these elements merged with those of the Etruscans and the Near East (Mesopotamia, Persia, etc.).

In addition to the three Greek orders, they used two others:

• The Tuscan: This order comes from Etruscan art and resembles the Doric, but the shaft is smooth without edges and placed on a pedestal or podium.
• The Composite: The most characteristic feature is that it mixes the Ionian spiral scrolls with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian in the capital. The shaft can be smooth and sharp and is usually also placed on a podium.

Roman buildings used other elements such as the arch, or semicircular arch, and the vault. These two elements allowed for a more even distribution of weight... Continue reading "Roman Architecture, Painting, and Mosaics: Key Features" »

Nobel Prize winner in 1956, the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez is, in the poet's words, a poem in sequence, a work in progress. The need to provide a sample of the status of his work led the poet to several anthologies: Selected Poems (1917), Second Anthology of Poetry (1922), and Third Anthology of Poetry (1957). The poet himself stated in his later years three stages in his production: Sensitive Time, Intellectual Era (since 1916), and True or Enough Time (since 1936).

Sensitive Time (Up to 1916)

• Intimate Step

  Poetry 'pure' in the sense of simple, intimate, and symbolist modernism. We note the influence of Bécquer and the French Symbolists. Nature, solitude, the passage of time, death, or unsatisfied love are the themes that are enveloped by

The Metric, Language, and Style of the Poem of the Cid

Over 3,000 verses in the Poem of the Cid are grouped into assonant monorhyme stanzas of varying lengths, ranging from 2 to 90 lines. The lines are irregular and divided into two hemistiches by a strong caesura, often represented graphically by a separation. The most common hemistiches have 6, 7, or 8 syllables.

The poem's language emphasizes clarity, specificity, and simplicity of expression. Minstrel features include frequent invocations of listeners, exclamatory expressions suggesting an audience, and a steady narrative pace. The oral tradition also explains the free use of verb forms and the use of epic epithets and appositions, which magnify the heroes, especially the Cid. Parallels to... Continue reading "Poem of the Cid: A Literary and Historical Analysis" »

The Poetic Worldview of Miguel Hernández

If anything characterizes the poetry of Miguel Hernández, it is vitalism. In his poems are his life, blood, passion, war, and love.

He introduces the reader to all its unbridled intensity. The worldview of Miguel Hernández does not separate life from death, but rather sees death as just another name for the poetic world he inhabits. The world of Miguel Hernández can be specified in this formula of elements in mutual correspondence:

All of his lyrical work revolves around the mysteries of life, generation, and death. There is a process in his poetry by which life moves from being a mere excuse for elaborate poetry to becoming the central issue, almost eliminating literary development. In Cancionero y

Poema del Mio Cid

An epic poem recounting the story of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, El Cid, a Castilian nobleman of the 11th century. The poem details the loss and recovery of the Cid's honor after being unjustly banished by King Alfonso VI. It is divided into three parts:

Song of the Exile

The poem begins with the Cid and his subjects leaving their land. In exile, he engages in battles against both Arabs and Christians. This section portrays him as a warrior hero with great humanity.

Song of the Marriage

After several victories, the Cid conquers Valencia. He sends a share of the spoils to King Alfonso VI, who forgives him and arranges the marriage of the Cid's daughters to the Heirs of Carrion.

Song of the Afrenta of Corpes

The Heirs of Carrion, accused... Continue reading "Medieval Spanish Literature: El Cid, Miracles, Love, and More" »

Social and Historical Context of the 1920s

The literature of the 1920s in Buenos Aires was disseminated and discussed, with a clear distinction made before the public. Writers were grouped into two main streams:

Florida Group

(Street of leisure) This group looked towards Europe and the aesthetic developments of the postwar period.

Boedo Group

(Street factory) This group looked towards Russia and embraced the dream of universal revolution.

Buenos Aires in 1920

The city rapidly transformed into a modern setting due to heavy immigration, which revolutionized society, especially the porteña population. The majority of immigrants were Spanish and Italian, but there were also other nationalities. Immigrants and their children benefited from increased literacy... Continue reading "1920s Buenos Aires: Literary Movements, Youth, and Borges' Symbols" »

Rafael Alberti: Life and Legacy

Rafael Alberti Biography: Born in El Puerto de Santa María, he moved to Madrid in 1917. He received the National Prize for Literature for his book of poetry, Marinero en tierra (1924). Alberti left Spain at the end of the Civil War, subsequently living in Paris, Argentina, and Rome.

Return from Exile

On April 27, 1977, after thirty-eight years of exile—having spent time in Argentina and Italy—Rafael Alberti returned to Spain. His first words upon leaving the plane were: "I left with a closed fist and come back with an open hand in sign of harmony between all the Spanish."

His legendary life is tied to nearly a century of cultural, political, and social events in Spain. His affiliations and contributions include:... Continue reading "Rafael Alberti: Biography, Exile, and Poetic Stages" »

Catalan Language Connectors

Connectors are words or phrases that link parts of a sentence or text, establishing relationships between them. They can be categorized by their function:

• Copulative: and, nor
• Disjunctive: or, or
• Distributive: neither...nor, now...now, either...or, now...as
• Adversative: but, yet, while, even so, however
• Illative: so, therefore, accordingly
• Continuative: moreover, and, still, even
• Explanatory: i.e., that is, I mean

Enric Valor: A Literary and Linguistic Legacy

In the post-war period, the figure of Enric Valor emerged prominently. His first novel, The Ambition of Alejo, challenged the alarming realism prevalent in post-war literature. The action of this novel is set amidst beautiful and perfectly described landscapes.

During... Continue reading "Catalan Language Essentials: Grammar, Dialects, and Enric Valor's Contributions" »

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Major Literary Works

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a pivotal figure in Spanish literature. His diverse body of work includes:

• The Pastoral Novel: La Galatea.
• The Byzantine Novel: Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (The Labors of Persiles and Sigismunda).
• The Exemplary Novels (Novelas ejemplares): A collection of 12 short stories written in the Italian style. These stories, presented as "exemplary examples for moral life," were often a subtle way to bypass censors.

Categorization of Exemplary Novels

The Exemplary Novels can be broadly categorized:

• Realistic (Actual or Real): These stories better represent the reality of the time. A key example is Rinconete y Cortadillo.
• Idealized: These are more fantastic in nature.