The Rise and Evolution of the Novel
The Novel as a Literary Genre
Historians have often assumed that the words fiction and novel are synonymous and interchangeable, which is not true. Ever since human beings have told stories, there has been fiction – verse or prose – and only in this sense, any work of fiction written before the 1600s in England is somehow an ancestor of the novel.
The concept “novel” comes from “novela” and “nouvelle”. It has its origin in “novellus” from Latin and has the meaning of something
Read MoreUnderstanding Figures of Speech
Understanding Literary Devices
Synecdoche: Using a part to represent the whole, or vice versa. For example, referring to someone as “the Apostle” or a cruel person as “a Nero.”
Allegory: A story or image in which the characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities. Example: Cupid’s band and wings.
Hyperbole: Exaggeration used for emphasis or effect.
Irony: Expressing the opposite of what is literally said, often for humorous or emphatic effect.
Metaphor
A trope that transfers the literal
Read MoreVerb Forms, Punctuation, and Narrative Text Types
The Verb
The verb is a kind of word that expresses action, condition, or situation. It has a root that contains all the verb forms and an ending that varies by person, tense, number, mood, and aspect.
- Person: The verb can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person.
- Number: The number of the verb indicates whether the action is carried out by one or more persons (singular and plural).
- Tense: The tense of the verb indicates whether it is spoken in the past, present, or future.
- Mood: Indicates the speaker’s attitude to
Benito Pérez Galdós and Leopoldo Alas Clarín: Spanish Literary Realism
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) represents the pinnacle of realism in Spanish literature. He was one of the most fertile writers of the time, producing over 80 novels, 24 plays, and numerous articles and essays. The enduring interest in his work lies in his ability to paint a panorama of contemporary society and to historicize recent events.
Life
Born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Galdós arrived in Madrid at age 18 to study law. He abandoned his studies to devote
Read MoreSatire as Social and Political Commentary in 18th-Century Literature
This essay discusses the role of satire as a tool for political and social criticism in eighteenth-century literature, focusing on authors who incorporated it into their works.
The Age of Satire
The 18th century is often called the Age of Satire due to satire’s significant influence on literature, appearing in drama, prose, essays, and novels. This period saw the rise of wit and reason, with satire used to ridicule social conventions and expose the flaws and hypocrisy of society, particularly among
Read MoreCharacteristics of Literary Language and Genres
Characteristics of Literary Language
Literary language is characterized by its distinct features across different genres:
Lyric
Lyric emphasizes self-expression, often using:
- First-person perspective
- Exclamations, appeals, and evaluative adjectives
- Repetition of phonic, morphosyntactic, or semantic resources
Narrative
Narrative, whether in verse or prose, focuses on:
- Verbal actions
- Setting, dialogue, and narration
- A narrator (the narrative voice that guides and brings life to the characters)
Theater
Theater
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