Journalistic Genres and Medieval Spanish Literature Essentials

Journalistic Genres

• Informative Genres: Their function is to narrate current events. Types of texts include news, reportage, and chronicles.
• Opinion Genres: Their function is to interpret current events to help shape reader opinions. Types of texts include editorials, opinion articles, letters to the editor, cultural criticism, entertainment, humor, and interviews.

Reporting Fundamentals

The news is a short narrative that reports on an event. The information gathered must answer six basic questions: who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• The Chronicle: The story of an event told from the location and at the time it occurs.
• The Reportage: A journalistic piece that narrates and discusses facts after conducting comprehensive, documented research.

Verbal Periphrasis

Aspectual Periphrasis

Structures include: ir a + infinitive, estar a punto de + infinitive, dejar de + infinitive, acabar de + infinitive, llevar + participle, and estar/ir/venir + gerund.

Modal Periphrasis

Structures include: tener que + infinitive, deber + infinitive, llegar a + infinitive, and soler + infinitive.

Origins of Spanish Prose

Prose began in the 13th century, particularly following the founding of new universities.

Alfonso X the Wise

He was the first king to promote prose, intending to extend culture to all who could read, specifically in languages other than Latin.

Don Juan Manuel

Nephew of Alfonso X, he was a nobleman who combined political and military activity with writing. He was the first to use Castilian for prose fiction. His most important work is The Count Lucanor.

Medieval Theater

The first manifestations of medieval theater were religious in nature. These performances usually took place in the cloisters or porticoes of churches.

La Celestina: The first edition was published in 1499 with 16 acts, titled Comedy of Calisto and Melibea. The 1502 edition added five new acts, renaming it Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea. The final version, consisting of 21 acts, has been known as La Celestina since the 1507 edition. The author is Fernando de Rojas, and the main characters are Calisto, Melibea, and Celestina.