Spanish Literary Forms and Post-War Eras

Understanding Text Columns

A text column is an argumentative piece where the author states or defends a particular opinion, or communicates insights to readers.

• Authorship: Often reflects the opinion of a prestigious person.
• Purpose: To inform, analyze, and educate the public about a particular event, encouraging reader interpretation.
• Topic: Can cover any subject.
• Brevity: Columnists have limited space for writing.
• Timescale: Fixed within periodic publications.
• Style: Sober, aiming for clarity and precision.

The Opinion Piece: An Argumentative Text

An opinion piece is an argumentative text where the author presents their point of view on any particular issue.

• Authorship: Often reflects the opinion of an expert on the subject, frequently collaborating with the newspaper.
• Topic: Thematic possibilities are wide-ranging.
• Structure: These texts do not follow a predetermined pattern.
• Informative Purpose: The author's intent is to present their position on a topic.
• Information Sequencing: Information must be ordered and coherent.
• Language Type & Stylistic Devices: The style depends on the purpose, often employing stylistic devices like irony.
• Extension: Normally tends to be a brief written piece.

Spanish Literary Periods

The 1940s: Post-Civil War Literature

The Civil War caused commotion in all aspects of Spanish life and naturally affected literature. Two main groups emerged:

• Traditionalists: Followed writing rules set by masters like Benito Pérez Galdós, producing quality works without significant thematic or technical innovations.
• Innovators: Writers' groups based on realism and an aesthetic stance, but with an existential and desperate tone previously unknown. They felt the need to denounce the country's misery and unrest, producing tremendista novels.

Key Authors and Works of the 1940s

• Camilo José Cela: La familia de Pascual Duarte, told through the confession of a condemned man.
• Carmen Laforet: Nada, depicting Andrea's arrival in Barcelona and her personal maturation process.
• Miguel Delibes: La sombra del ciprés es alargada, describing an internal state of narrative experiences from a traditional scheme.

The 1950s: Social Realism Movement

This movement was characterized by:

• Open Structure: For narration, breaking traditional space-time schemes.
• Collective Protagonist: A set of indefinite characters forming a whole.
• Spanish Reality: A commitment to show reality as it is.

Narrative Techniques and Trends

• Objectivism: The novelist recounts reality objectively.
• Critical Realism: The novelist seeks to awaken consciences and denounce social inequalities and injustices.

The 1960s: Experimental Novel and Individual Struggle

The 1960s marked a significant rupture in literary conventions:

• Rupture: Birth of the experimental, non-linear novel.
• Narrative Techniques: Alternating perspectives, use of interior monologue, and structural alterations.
• Themes: The main character often embodies the struggle of the individual against society.