Classical Poetic Genres and Enduring Renaissance Literary Themes
Greco-Roman Poetic Genres
Discover several poetic genres from the Greco-Roman tradition:
- Eclogues: Compositions in which the poet expresses feelings through the voices of shepherds.
- Ode: A high-pitched lyric poem with a variety of themes and issues.
- Epistle: Doctrinal issues presented in letter form.
- Elegy: Displays feelings in response to a painful event.
Renaissance Literary Topics and Themes
The poets of the Renaissance frequently incorporated various topics from Graeco-Latin literature into their creations.
Read MoreKey Figures and Concepts in Catalan Literature
Joanot Martorell (Gandia, 1414-1468)
A distinguished writer and gentleman, Joanot Martorell is renowned for his 15th-century masterpiece, Tirant lo Blanc. This epic novel recounts the adventures of Tirant across various lands, including England, France, Rhodes, Sicily, and Constantinople. The narrative also details his love for Carmesina and their journey to Africa, set against the backdrop of the fall of the Greek Empire.
Tirant lo Blanc is celebrated for its unique blend of:
- Facts and fiction
- Military
The Book of Good Love: Juan Ruiz’s Medieval Masterpiece
The Book of Good Love: A Literary Examination
Textual History, Author, and Dating
The Book of Good Love has been preserved in three manuscript copies and fragments. In it, the author confesses to be named Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita. Few specific details about his life are known.
The manuscripts present two dates of composition: 1330 and 1343. This has led to speculation that there were, in those years, two successive editors of the book, hence the differences between the texts. Scholars also
Read MoreSouthern Spanish Dialects and ‘Los Santos Inocentes’ Analysis
Critique of ‘Los Santos Inocentes’ by Miguel Delibes
The novel expresses concern over the world, social problems, and the abuse by the nobility. It combines traditional realism with modernism. The novel is a synthesis of Delibes’ art. In this work, a trait is evident that often goes unnoticed in other novels by Delibes: it conceals an enormous individual and social violence. This violence, according to Delibes, is not merely his personal obsession, but rather the REALITY he describes. The novel admirably
Read MoreHawthorne and Melville: Allegory, Faith, and Narrative Contrasts
This essay compares the use of allegory, religious themes, and narrative structure in the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville, focusing on “Young Goodman Brown” (1835) and Moby-Dick (1851) respectively. These two authors, both central to the American Renaissance, shared a concern with moral and philosophical questions but approached them through different literary strategies.
Literary Backgrounds and Influences
On the one hand, Hawthorne (1804–1864), born in Salem and descended
Read MoreUnderstanding the Features and Characters in Novels
Detailed Features of Reading a Novel