Industrial Revolution: Textile Industry, Poverty, and Welfare
Textile Industry
Wool Production:
- Carding: Traditionally done by women and children at home.
- Spinning: Primarily done by women at home.
- Weaving: Typically done by men at home or in a workplace.
Exporting cloth proved more profitable than exporting raw wool, leading to a focus on cloth production.
The spinning process was significantly slow until the invention of the Flying Shuttle (John Kay), which automated the shuttle movement from side to side.
A multiplied spinning wheel was invented, known as the
Read MoreRenaissance Literature: Humanism and Elizabethan Poetry
Key Features of Renaissance Literature
The Revival of Classical Learning: Classical authors and writings became popular, giving English people access to literature from classical times. These classical models inspired writers seeking to create new literature.
Humanism – A New Conception of Man and the Universe: Man became the center of the universe during the Renaissance, playing a central role in history. Man was seen as the maker of history.
Secularism: This did not represent a rejection of the
Read MoreAntonio Machado’s Poetic Language and Style
Antonio Machado’s Poetic Language
The Lexicon
Machado’s poetry often evokes feelings of old age, melancholy, and the inevitable decay of all things. This sense of decline is captured in words like “Seire,” reflecting the deterioration of both objects and humans.
- Anxiety and boredom, especially the ennui of youth, are recurring themes.
- Somber and dull tones, with colors representing the anxiety and monotony of life, are prevalent.
- Machado’s poetic universe isn’t solely defined by despair; it also includes
Catalan Literature: Origins, Key Figures, and Historical Context
The Origins of Catalan Literature
Catalan language development: substrate, entered, superestrat. Born in VI-VIII. By the XII century, meals were written in Catalan: Homilies d’Organyà and Forum ludicum. Catalan emerged from a necessity.
The first important literary writing in Catalan: Ramon Llull and Ausias March, influenced by Occitan and Provence. Trovadoresca Literature: the first cultured manifestation in a Romance language, emerged from the nobility in a feudal context.
Troubadours: Noble Origins
Read MoreEl Cantar de Mio Cid and Mester de Clerecía
El Cantar de Mio Cid
Date and Authorship
The Cantar de Mio Cid (The Song of My Cid) is the most important epic poem in Spanish literature and the only one that has survived almost entirely, with nearly four thousand lines.
The song was written in the 12th century by two anonymous minstrels from the land of Soria.
Content and Structure
The song tells of the exploits of the Castilian hero Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid. It is a historical work, but also literary and artistic. Events are inspired
Read MoreIndian and Western Novels: A Comparative History
Early Indian and Western Literary Works
Early Examples:
- Banabhatta – Kadambari (Sanskrit)
- Panchatantra (Sanskrit)
- Dastan – Tales of adventure in Urdu and Persian
Early Marathi Novels:
- Baba Padmanji – Yamuna Paryatan (Marathi; about widows)
- Lakshman Moreshwar Halbe – Muktamala (imaginary romance)
Early Malayalam Novels:
- Chandu Menon – Subjudge from Malabar; tried to translate Henrietta Temple by Benjamin Disraeli into Malayalam; wrote Indulekha in Malayalam (first modern novel in Malayalam)
Early Telugu Novels:
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