The Enduring Legacy of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes Lives On
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional private detective who uses his talent for logical thinking to solve complex mysteries. He is frequently depressed, bored, and socially snobbish. He apparently never had an affair and has few friends besides his assistant, Dr. John H. Watson, the narrator of the story, with whom he shares a house at 221b Baker Street in London. From this description, Holmes does not seem like an obvious character to have fascinated readers for more than one hundred
Read MoreCharacters and Themes in Calderón de la Barca’s Play
Clarin
Clarin is a comedic character. In Renaissance plays (like those of Lope de Rueda), the figure of grace, a funny servant, appeared. Lope de Vega adopted this character but gave him more importance, making him a key element of Spanish theater. Calderón surpassed Lope’s characterization, making Clarin a significant figure, especially for the moral lessons he represents. Clarin becomes a symbol, and his death summarizes the significance of the work. More than a deterministic stance, Clarin’s
Read MoreUnderstanding Literary Terms: A Quick Reference
Literary Devices: Definitions and Examples
Allegory: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Antagonist: A character, group of characters, institution, or concept that stands in or represents opposition against which the protagonist(s) must contend.
Characterization: The creation or construction of a fictional character.
Protagonist: The leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional
Read MoreSymbols in the Poetry of Miguel Hernández
Imagery and Symbolism in Miguel Hernández’s Poetry
The poems of Miguel Hernández in his formative years (1924-1931) present images taken directly from his environment in Orihuela. In the words of José Luis Ferris, these are “the lemon, the well, the fig tree, the string, or the backyard.” Such symbols are clearly visible in the poem “Insomnia” and, especially, in its more refined version, “I Remember…” The image of the shepherd poet would always accompany Hernández.
Early Poems and Erotic Desire
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Read MoreNaturalism in 19th-Century Spanish Literature
Naturalism and Realism in 19th-Century Spanish Literature
In the final decades of the nineteenth century, realism evolved into naturalism, a movement fueled by French author Émile Zola. Carried to an extreme, naturalism proposed to apply scientific principles to the literature of the period. For Zola, man is the result of genetic inheritance and social conditions. Spanish writers of the time—Emilia Pardo Bazán, Galdós, Clarín, and Vicente Blasco Ibáñez—rejected Zola’s genetic determinism
Read MoreCatalan Chronicles: Desclot, Muntaner, and Peter the Ceremonious
Chronicles of Catalonia: Desclot, Muntaner, and Peter the Ceremonious
Chronicle of Bernard Desclot. In the chronicle of Bernard Desclot, or Book of King Peter, drafted between 1283 and 1288, the author remains in the background. The real focus is Peter II the Great, a contemporary of the author, whose brief reign (1276 – 1285) is explained in detail, with precision, clarity, and historical accuracy. Desclot briefly recounts the reigns of three monarchs before portraying Peter II the Great, son and
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