Life 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
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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
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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
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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,
Glossary of Literary Terms
A
Acotación Stage
Note on the play where the author instructs on everything related to the scenario, action, or movement of the characters. It ranges from the simple indication of entrances and exits of the characters in classical theater to the detailed description of the characters in the realist.
B
Balada / Oda
The ballad is a fixed form of the court’s final song of the European Middle Ages. It is unique in repeating the same verse, chorus, at the end of three stanzas. It consists of eight syllables
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