Essential Concepts in Spanish Literary History and Genres

Literary Genres and Classification

• Lyric Genre: Appears from a personal standpoint, focusing on subjective expression.
• Narrative Genre: The author creates a voice, known as the narrator, to tell a story.
• Dramatic Genre: Presents an action taken by characters in a specific space and time.

Characteristics of Literary Movements (Eras)

These movements define periods in literary history, often reflecting cultural and social shifts:

• Romanticism: Emphasizes freedom, individualism, genius and inspiration, escapism, and irrationalism.
• Post-Romanticism: Characterized by the intimate expression of emotions and feelings, often reflecting nature.
• Realism: Focuses on the social self, the presentation of everyday life, the analysis of environments, and the reflection of reality.
• Naturalism: Uses an objective narrator, focusing on marginalized subjects of society and characters with inherent flaws.
• Modernism: Defined by literary language renewal, rejection of reality, and the vindication of beauty in all its forms.
• Novecento (Generation of '14): Takes a cold, hard look at the country's problems, seeking solutions; characterized by concern for Spain and an intellectual group focus.
• Vanguardism (Vanguard): Driven by a desire for refreshing creativity and a break with previous literary principles.
• Generation of '27: Defined by a personal homage to Góngora, shared training, and common cultural interests.
• Neopopularism: Short compositions characterized by great lyrical intensity.
• Civil War Literature: Often characterized by literature of propaganda.

Themes of the Fin de Siècle

The end of the millennium saw a focus on the issues of Spain and the nature of existence (often associated with the Generation of '98).

Expository Texts and Argumentation

Expository texts argue for theses using evidence, data, and reasoning. The arguments used are objective and avoid personal opinions:

• Arguments Used: Scientific exhibitions, historical facts, quotations from authority, and objective data.
• Linguistic Style: Formal language, tendency toward objectivity, use of specialized jargon, verbs in the third person, and minimal use of figurative language.

Linguistic and Rhetorical Figures

• Synonymy: The use of synonymous words or voices with similar meaning to amplify or strengthen the expression of a concept.
• Antonymy: The opposition of two terms with opposite meaning.
• Word Families: A set of words that share common roots.
• Semantic Field: A group of words that are related by meaning.

Key Authors and Works in Spanish Literature

A selection of important authors and their representative works: