Literary Movements & Key Works: Antiquity to Naturalism
Greek Literature (8th-4th Century BC)
Vision
Anthropomorphic policies
Authors
- Homer
- Hesiod
- Aeschylus
- Sophocles
Key Works
- Iliad
- Odyssey
- Oresteia
- Antigone
- Medea
- Oedipus Rex
- The Trojans
- The Frogs
- The Clouds
Characteristics
Archaic and Classical (Attic) periods. Lyric poetry originates. Highlights: comedy, tragedy, and drama.
Roman Literature (4th Century BC Onward)
Vision
Policies
Authors
- Livius Andronicus
- Plautus
- Lucretius
- Catullus
Key Works
- Odyssey (Latin adaptation)
- Aeneid
- Metamorphoses
Characteristics
Relation to Classical Greek literature. Influence extended to the Renaissance. Works written in Latin with legislative and didactic purposes. Cultured, rhetorical, and satirical poetry.
Medieval Literature (5th-15th Century)
Vision
Theocratic era, traditions, and popular stories.
Authors
- Chrétien de Troyes
- Gonzalo de Berceo
- Juan Ruiz
- Dante Alighieri
Key Works
- Knight of the Road
- Chanson de Roland
- Ring of the Nibelung
- Cantar de Mio Cid
- The Book of Good Love
Characteristics
Latin adopted by churches. Diverse themes based on geography. Sublime or divine love, courtly love. Mester de Minstrelsy and Mester de Clerecía. Jarchas.
Renaissance Literature (15th-16th Century)
Vision
Humanist and idealist
Authors
- Francesco Petrarch
- Garcilaso de la Vega
- William Shakespeare
- Giovanni Boccaccio
- Thomas à Kempis
- Jan van Ruysbroeck
- San Juan de la Cruz
Key Works
- Canzoniere
- Decameron
- Romeo and Juliet
- Hamlet
- The Imitation of Christ
- The Spiritual Espousals
Characteristics
Varied start and end dates across Europe. Developed in Italy, England, and Spain. Perfection of the sonnet. Religious themes.
Baroque Literature (16th-17th Century)
Vision
Pessimistic
Authors
- Luis de Góngora
- Miguel de Cervantes
- Francisco de Quevedo
- Lope de Vega
- Tirso de Molina
- Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Key Works
- Don Quixote
- Fuenteovejuna
- The Trickster of Seville
- Life is a Dream
Characteristics
Crisis, poverty, and war. Sense of a short existence. Associated with the Spanish Golden Age. Culteranismo and Conceptismo.
Neoclassicism (18th-19th Century)
Vision
Enlightenment, reason
Authors
- Leandro Fernández de Moratín
- Jonathan Swift
- Daniel Defoe
Key Works
- Robinson Crusoe
- Gulliver’s Travels
Characteristics
Reason dominates imagination. Didactic, moralistic, and fable forms.
Romanticism (19th Century)
Vision
Subjectivity, emotion
Authors
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- José de Espronceda
- Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer
- William Wordsworth
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Mariano José de Larra
Key Works
- Faust
- The Sorrows of Young Werther
- Hymns to the Night
- Student of Salamanca
- Rhymes and Legends
- Ivanhoe
- Frankenstein
Characteristics
Opposition to the Enlightenment. Exalted feeling over reason. Disillusionment with reality. Strong nationalist tendencies.
Realism (Mid-19th Century)
Vision
Verisimilitude, social commentary
Authors
- Gustave Flaubert
- Leo Tolstoy
- Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Alberto Blest Gana
Key Works
- Madame Bovary
- Crime and Punishment
- Martín Rivas
Characteristics
Exalts surrounding reality. Focus on social problems.
Naturalism (Late-19th Century)
Vision
Positivism, scientific observation
Authors
- Émile Zola
- Baldomero Lillo
Key Works
- La Terre (The Earth)
- Subterra
Characteristics
Explains stark human reality. Grim realities. Experimental literary form.
Literary Topics
Carpe diem (seize the day): Seize the present moment.
Colligo, virgo, rosas (gather, girl, roses): Enjoy youth before it fades.
Tempus fugit (time flies): The rapid passage of time.
Ubi sunt? (where are they?): Reflects on the past.
Beatus ille (happy is he): Happiness in withdrawing from worldly ties.
Locus amoenus (pleasant place): Idealized natural space.
Memento mori (remember that you will die): Inevitability of death.