Antonio Machado’s Poetic Evolution: From Introspection to Castilian Landscapes
Antonio Machado’s Early Poetic Journey: Solitudes
The first stage of Antonio Machado’s poetic journey, marked by introspection and the triumph of Modernism, is encapsulated in Solitudes (1903) and later expanded in Solitudes, Galleries and Other Poems (1907).
Years later, Machado would speak of Rubén Darío’s influence, yet he had intended to announce a very different path. He added, “I imagined that the poetic element was not the word for its phonetic value, or color, or line, or a complex of sensations,
Read MoreDickens’ Hard Times: Victorian Society’s Flaws Revealed
Charles Dickens: A Voice for Victorian Society
Charles Dickens stands as one of the most acclaimed authors in universal literature, renowned for his splendid portrayals of 19th-century society. This era underwent profound changes, all clearly reflected in his literary works. Dickens often criticized his contemporary society, identifying and condemning many aspects he deemed terrible mistakes.
Hard Times: A Novel of Profound Social Commentary
This novel, Hard Times, primarily delves into Dickens’ exposition
Read MoreLiterary Legacies: Chaucer’s Medieval World & Mansfield’s Modern Narratives
Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer, born in London in 1343 and died in 1400, was buried in Westminster Abbey. An English poet, author, and diplomat, he worked as a courtier and customs official. He is widely known as the “Father of English Literature”. His most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, is characterized by its insightful portrayal of medieval society through diverse characters and stories.
Chaucer’s Life and Influences
Chaucer’s life and work were significantly influenced
Read MoreSpanish Literary Classics: Amadis of Gaul and La Celestina Analysis
Amadis of Gaul: A Chivalric Masterpiece
The books of chivalry gained wider dissemination by the end of the 15th century. Around 1492, the most famous Castilian chivalry novel, Amadis of Gaul, appeared. The unknown author’s work was corrected and completed by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, who published it in 1508. Its attractive and elegant language, distinct from the often difficult genre, stands out for its lyricism and the idealization of the love of its protagonists.
The Sentimental Novel: Characteristics
Read MoreCelestina: Literary Analysis & Spanish Linguistic Concepts
Celestina: A Literary Crossroads
Celestina, published in the late fifteenth century, is a work that brings together a crossroads of elements. It blends loving idealism with middle-class settings, characters of high birth with servants, and Latinate style and rhetoric with colloquial expressions.
Fernando de Rojas found the first act and decided to continue the work. The author of the first act remains unknown. Rojas was born in 1475 in Toledo and died in 1541.
Editions of Celestina
- 1st Edition (1499,
Unveiling Gabriel García Márquez’s Masterpiece
Published in 1981, Chronicle of a Death Foretold is one of the great works of Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez. In general, this novel has the following features:
- Treatment of universal themes: fate, death, honor, isolation, violence, etc.
- Renewal of narrative techniques: different points of view, a rupture of temporal linearity, and so on.
- Integration of the fantastic and the real.
The novel is based on a true story that occurred in the writer’s native country when he was a child. It recounts,
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