Spanish Literature: Post-War Periods and Key Authors (1940-1960)

Spanish Literature: Post-War Periods (1940s–1960s)

The Poetry of Exile

This stream constantly addresses the issue of Spain, characterized by a nostalgic approach. The tone sometimes becomes angry and even insulting toward the victors of the Civil War.

Poetry of the Immediate Post-War (1940s)

Poetry was the field exhibiting the greatest diversity and artistic wealth during this decade. Dámaso Alonso distinguished two primary streams:

• Rooted Poetry: Focused on traditional forms and themes, often supporting the regime's values.
• Uprooted Poetry: Expressed existential anguish and social concern, often using harsher language.

Social Poetry of the 1950s

Social poetry developed as an evolution of the Uprooted stream, becoming key to social realism. It is characterized by:

1. Simple and colloquial language.
2. Predominance of free verse.
3. A greater concern for content (message over form).
4. Narrative character.

Generation of the Half Century (1950s and 1960s)

Poets of the 1950s originated from the orbit of social poetry but reacted against its strict tenets. They returned to a certain intimacy, characterized by an ironic vision of reality, though social concern did not entirely disappear.

Post-War Spanish Theater (1940s–1960s)

Theater of the 1940s

This period had an elusive character, relying heavily on public shows. Two main types distinguished themselves:

• Comedy Lounge: Light entertainment.
• Comic Theater: Lost the character of manners that defined the previous period.

Enrique Jardiel Poncela was a true Spanish humorist, renovating the theater. His dramatic pattern is characteristic:

1. Beginning: A nonsensical, absurd situation is established.
2. Rest of the Work: Clarification and resolution of this initial situation.

Social and Realistic Theater (1950s and 1960s)

Realistic theater attempted to renew the Spanish stage and show their opposition to the dictatorship. Topics included social injustice and the life of the middle and lower classes, but these were limited by censorship.

Antonio Buero Vallejo: His 1949 premiere of "The Story of a Ladder" is considered the inaugural work of this type of theater. His work consistently combined social and existential concerns.

Federico García Lorca and The House of Bernarda Alba

Lorca's Contribution to 20th Century Theater

Federico García Lorca, belonging to the Generation of '27, was known equally for his poetry and his theater. He and Ramón del Valle-Inclán were the great innovators of the first half of the 20th century.

The work belongs to Lorca's final trilogy, alongside Blood Wedding and Yerma, representing the culmination of his dramatic work. A striking element of the play is the tragic fate of Adela, who hangs herself for disobeying her mother. Bernarda Alba is often shown to be more concerned with public opinion regarding her daughter's death than with the death itself.

Linguistic Analysis Points

• Pragmatic Points

  Focus on the Issuer, Receiver, Code, Tone, and Function.

• Morphological Points

  Focus on abstract nouns, evaluative adjectives, and verbs.

• Syntactic Points

  Sentences are long, and subordination dominates coordination.

• Semantic Points

  Text is connotative, featuring polysemy, synonymy, and technical terms.