Latin American Literature: From Neruda to Magical Realism
Pablo Neruda
Pablo Neruda was born in Parral on July 12, 1904. He was a Chilean poet, considered one of the largest and most influential of his century. The son of José Carmen Reyes Morales, a railroad worker, and Rosa Neftali Basoalto Opazo, Pablo Neruda died in Santiago at the Santa Maria Clinic on September 23rd.
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair was released in Santiago in 1924 by Editorial Nascimento. In this book, Neruda maintains a traditional structure (e.g., rhyme) and a tendency toward
Read MoreMedieval Spanish Literature: Epic Poetry and the Cantar de Mio Cid
Literary Genres
Lyric Literature: This genre expresses the writer’s subjectivity.
- Oda: Expresses enthusiasm and admiration.
- Song: Short poem with a love theme.
- Elegy: Expresses sorrow for personal events.
- Eclogue: Love-themed dialogues between shepherds.
- Satire: Ridicules and criticizes actions or persons.
- Epistle: Written in letter form.
- Epigram: Short poem of a festive nature.
Popular Lyric Forms:
- Zejel
- Carol
- Lyrical Ballads
Narrative Literature: The narrator recounts external events, creating a fictional
Read MoreSpanish Literature of the 17th Century
Lope de Vega
Biography
Félix Lope de Vega Carpio (1562-1635) was born in Madrid. A young talent, he showed literary promise from the age of 12. He later became a priest.
Dramatic Work
Lope de Vega dedicated himself to the theater and is considered one of the great figures of Spanish and universal literature. He is considered the creator of the national theater of the seventeenth century and the most prolific author of all Spanish literature.
Comedies, Histories, and Legends:
- Fuenteovejuna
- El caballero
Medieval Spanish Literature: Poetry, Prose, and Theater
Medieval Spanish Literature
Poetry
Lyric Poetry: Jarchas, Ballads, and Carols
Mozarabic jarchas, Galician-Portuguese cantigas de amigo, and 15th-century Castilian carols represent a shared Iberian lyrical tradition. These are short songs, typically sung by a woman in love.
These lyric forms span a considerable period: jarchas from the mid-11th century to the first half of the 14th century, cantigas de amigo from the late 12th century to the end of the 14th century, and carols from the mid-15th century
Read MoreRomanticism and Realism in 19th Century Literature
Romanticism
1. The First Half of the Nineteenth Century
In the late eighteenth century, the French Revolution brought new political, ideological, and social changes to Europe. It questioned the absolute power of monarchs and the stratified society, proposing a constitutional parliamentary system, limiting the powers of the king, and ending the privileges of the nobility.
The French Revolution had two main factions:
- The Absolutists: Supporters of maintaining privileges.
- Liberals: Proponents of a system
Epic Narratives and Romance in Spanish Literature
1. Epic Narrative
Their goal was to tell stories of heroes. The main genres are epic verse epics and romances. The main genres in prose are the story and the novel.
2. Romance
The topics covered by the romances were varied and depended on the stage of the writing. The romances were composed of versos de arte menor in assonance rhyming verse pairs. Their rhyme scheme, known as the pie de romance, is as follows: 8-8a 8-8a 8-8a.
The history of romance can be divided into 3 stages:
Old or Medieval Ballads: