The Renaissance Novel

The Renaissance: The Novel

Narrative Form (15th Century)

During the Renaissance, narrative prose developed along two lines: one idealistic and adventurous, covering fantastic stories, and the other realistic.

Idealistic narratives include:

  • Books of Chivalry: Narrating the exploits of a knight, paladin (defender) of honor and virtue.
  • Italian Novella: Tangled intrigues and tragic or farcical themes.
  • Pastoral Novel: The theme of love with idealized shepherds and nature.
  • Byzantine Novel: Describing the perilous
Read More

Spanish Grammar and Linguistics Summary

T-3: Phonetics

The smallest phonological unit is the phoneme, which is concerned with the sound of words.

T-4: Word Stress

  • Aguda (oxytone): Stress on the last syllable.
  • Llana (paroxytone): Stress on the penultimate syllable.
  • Esdrújula (proparoxytone): Stress on the antepenultimate syllable.
  • Sobresdrújula (superproparoxytone): Stress on the syllable before the antepenultimate.

T-9: Verbal Periphrasis

A verbal periphrasis is formed by an auxiliary verb plus an infinitive. For instance, “ir a” plus infinitive

Read More

Spanish Narrative (1939-1970s): From Existentialism to Experimentation

Spanish Narrative from 1939 to the Late Sixties

From Cela and Delibes to Martín-Santos and Laforet, Spanish narrative from 1939 to the late sixties actively sought new ways to break the cultural lethargy of the early postwar years. The output of this phase is usually divided into three periods:

Existentialist Novels (1940-1950)

The environmental conditions of the postwar period determined the themes and narrative techniques of the novels written during this time. Influences from the picaresque novel

Read More

Cervantes’ Narrative Works: From Pastoral to Picaresque

Cervantes’ Narrative Works

5.1 The Galatea (1585)

This pastoral novel, with a simple love plot, is set in a limited space. Interpolated stories, poems, and debates add complexity to the narrative schema. It remains unfinished, with unresolved storylines.

5.2 Exemplary Novels

These novels blend realism and idealism, incorporating various narrative models and folk material. They lack a common framework but explore themes of friendship, love, hypocrisy, and deceit through complex narratives.

Rinconete y

Read More

Print Journalism: Structure, Functions, and Genres

Print Journalism

The press offers multiple formats—written daily, weekly, graphic magazines, and trade press (athletic, musical, etc.)—whose structure depends on the content and the issuer’s intentions.

Journalistic Space

A newspaper is structured and hierarchical. Its external configuration provides a precise format organized into pages divided into columns. Inside, it is a complex entity divided into multiple sections (national, economic, etc.).

The newspaper’s ranking process prioritizes some

Read More

18th-Century Journalism & Don Quixote

18th-Century Journalism

Origins of Journalism

The origins of journalism and the periodical press can be traced back much earlier than the 18th century.

  • Volandres Sheets: Appeared in the 15th century, thanks to the invention of printing, becoming widely known and popular.
  • Almanacs: Developed during the 16th century, along with semi-annual publications.
  • Gazettes: Played an important role in politics and diplomacy. These were European and published weekly.
  • Mercury: Published monthly with a more literary
Read More