Literary Devices and Poetic Forms in Spanish Literature

Poetic Forms and Metrics

Consonant Rhyme (Rima Consonante)

From the last stressed syllable, the termination phonetics are the same; it is a consonant rhyme where consonant and vowel phonemes match.

Romance

A strophic poem with rhyming assonance, usually consisting of eight-syllable lines, where the assonance usually occurs in pairs.

Villancico (Carol)

Consists of a chorus (2 or 3 lines) and moving parts (back link verses 6, 7, 8) with the repetition of the chorus or part of the eight-syllable variants.

Cuaderna Vía

Four Alexandrine verses with rhyme, usually a consonant; it is the mester de clerecía (mastery of clergy).

Soleá Andaluza

Three lines of minor art; the first and third have assonance and rhyme, while the second is usually loose.

Literary Genres and Prose

Epigram

Initially, its theme was praise, but it has gradually incorporated all circumstances to be impressed with the outcome. It presents metrical variety. Examples include the burlesque sonnets of Góngora and Quevedo.

Comedy

Approaches the story from a comic vision in which human imperfections are seen as natural beings. Its characters are the same as or worse than real people. Example: El perro del hortelano (The Dog in the Manger) by Lope de Vega.

Elegy

Mixes ingredients that are sad, melancholy, sentimental, or funeral-related. Its metrics are varied. Examples: Verses on the Death of His Father by Jorge Manrique.

Sermon

An oral genre monologue; a speech delivered by one speaker who addresses an audience. It involves a unilateral communicative process while featuring exposure and argumentation.

Novel

An extended prose narrative that presents a problematic and diverse world; the history may vary in space and time. It differs from the epic by the presence of a complex character rich in nuances. Examples: Lazarillo de Tormes and Don Quixote by Cervantes.

Rhetorical Devices and Figures of Speech

Narrative Ellipsis

Removes some of the events described by a phrase over time.

Anadiplosis

Repeating the last word of a verse at the beginning of the next. Example: "I cannot imagine another reason why it fills me with joy."

Reduplication

A word or words repeated at the beginning of a phrase. Example: "Green field, green field..."

Metaphor

Identifying a real term with an imagined term. Types include: A is B, A, B, A: B, or B (pure metaphor).

Paradox

Apparently meeting contradictory terms. Example: "Everything happens and everything goes."

Hyperbaton

Altering the logical order of a sentence. Example: "The room in the dark corner..."