Don Juan Tenorio: Plot, Characters, and Literary Analysis
Don Juan Tenorio: Plot Summary
Part One: The Bet and Betrayal
Don Luis Mejía had lost the bet he made with Don Juan Tenorio a year ago. When they meet to see who has lost, Don Juan bets Don Luis that he will seduce his fiancée, Doña Ana de Pantoja, and also conquer a novice.
Commander Don Gonzalo de Ulloa, father of Doña Inés (who was to marry Don Juan), undoes the marriage upon learning of Don Juan’s challenge.
Don Juan swears to Don Gonzalo that he will abduct his daughter, who is in a convent
Read MoreGalician Literary Voices in Exile (1936-1950)
Galician Literature of Exile (1936-1950)
London, Mexico, Venezuela, and above all, Buenos Aires were the destinations for Galician exiles fleeing Franco’s repression. They established cultural initiatives, publishing magazines like Vieiros, founding publishers such as Citania, and broadcasting on Radio Portugal for immigrants.
This period highlights dramatic and poetic genres, influenced by the avant-garde and the prose style of Celso Emilio Ferreiro. Common themes include protest-oriented sentiments
Read MoreSpanish Golden Age Literature: Cervantes, Baroque Theater
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Life & Works
Cervantes’s Biography
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the most universal Spanish writer, was born in Alcalá de Henares in 1547. At 22 years old, he joined the Tercios of Italy and fought in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, where he was wounded in his left hand, which was permanently disabled. In 1605, the first part of Don Quixote was published, and he began to achieve fame as a writer. He died on April 23, 1616.
Literary Contributions of Cervantes
Cervantes’
Read MoreAvant-garde Movements: European and Catalan Perspectives
Vocabulary and Grammar Essentials
Vocabulary
- Accare:
- To put face to face; to caress.
- Crumble:
- To break or fall apart into small fragments.
- Dull:
- Lacking intellectual acuity; uninteresting or unexciting.
- Issued:
- Formally put forth, distributed, or published.
- Indolence:
- Avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness.
- Aria:
- A long, accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.
- Aida:
- An opera by Giuseppe Verdi, which premiered in 1871.
- Pega:
- A very viscous, tar-like residue or pitch.
- Patch:
- A
Miguel Hernandez: Tradition, Modernity, and Influences
Tradition and Modernity in Hernandez’s Work
In the work of Miguel Hernandez, the classic and the new converge: tradition and renewal. In this sense, his work is a good example of the aesthetic of the early decades of the twentieth century.
Roots in Popular Tradition
Miguel Hernandez’s love for traditional folk poetry can be explained by his rural background; from the beginning, he was drawn to nature and immediate reality. The poets of the Generation of ’27 had already recreated learned poetry within
Read MoreSpanish Literary Movements: 1898-1936 Narrative Evolution
Spanish Narrative Before 1936
This period saw a crisis in 20th-century realism and a search for new narrative paths. Key aspects include:
- Plot: The action becomes less important, is interrupted with digressions, and often has an open, uncertain ending.
- Themes: In addition to universal themes (solitude, death, love), new themes emerged, influenced by nihilism, psychoanalysis, and philosophical inquiry. The novel evolved into a psychological and moral exploration of individuals.
- Structure:
- External: Arrangement