Influential Writers: From Munro to Achebe – Exploring Literary Landscapes
Alice Munro
Alice Munro is one of the most important short-story writers of her generation. Her fiction combines spareness and realism with magisteral vision and expansiveness. Munro’s signature approach to the short story, in which she uses a simple style to produce complex and potent effects, has influenced many of her contemporaries. She has published several collections of short stories, and most of them are written in the first person, often from the perspective of women whose voices and experiences
Read MoreLife and Works of Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca
Lope de Vega
Life
Lope de Vega was born in Madrid to humble origins. He was self-taught and worked as a secretary for nobles. His work is marked by his active love life. He was banished for writing a satire against a lover who had abandoned him. He later eloped with a woman he called Belisa in his compositions. He remarried a widower, immortalized as Camila Lucinda in his poems. After the death of his wife and his son Carlos Felix, he was ordained a priest and stopped writing. In 1616, he fell in
Read MoreThe Literary Legacy of Henry James: Exploring International Themes and Psychological Realism
TEMA 12: Writing on Slavery
The Divided Nation
The abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1830 significantly impacted the United States, further dividing the already fractured nation. The anti-slavery climate in the Northern states clashed with the pro-slavery sentiment in the South. This tension culminated in the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which further inflamed the debate. The election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860 ultimately led to the secession of Southern states and the outbreak
Read MoreAmerican Encounters: Exploring Themes of Slavery and Internationalism in 19th-Century Literature
TEMA 12: Writing on Slavery
The country was divided. The abolition of Slavery in the British Empire (1830), the anti-slavery climate in northern states, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, and Abraham Lincoln’s election as President of the US in 1860 all contributed to this division.
Abolitionist Movement
The American Anti-Slavery Society, founded by William Lloyd Garrison, played a crucial role in the fight against slavery. They:
- Used the rhetoric of religion to present slavery as a moral sin.
- Utilized
The Castle of Otranto: A Gothic Masterpiece
2 The Castle of Otranto
Publication History and Authorship
The book was first published on December 24, 1764 (500 copies), with a second edition following on April 11, 1765.
In the first edition, Horace Walpole concealed his identity under the pseudonym “William Marshall.”
The book was presented as a discovered manuscript, a common practice in 18th-century fiction, purportedly a medieval text authored by “Onuphrio Muralto” in Italian and translated into English by Marshall.
The preface argued for the
Read MoreThe Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha: A Deep Dive
Miguel de Cervantes and his Literary Legacy
The Life and Works of Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), born in Alcalá de Henares, was a titan of Spanish and universal literature. His diverse body of work includes:
- Pastoral Novel: La Galatea
- Poetry: While not his strongest genre, his poetry reflects his dedication to the craft.
- Plays: He penned 10 plays and eight interludes.
- Short Stories: His Exemplary Novels, a collection of 12 short stories, were modeled after the Italian genre. These stories,