Nature’s Reflection: Pike’s Predator Instinct vs. Tintern Abbey’s Devotion
In “Pike,” Hughes employs a deep metaphor for the predator instinct, building upon Darwin’s theory of evolution. Conversely, Wordsworth, in “Tintern Abbey,” demonstrates a traditional devotion to nature, emphasizing its power to guide our inner selves. Both authors, therefore, connect their natural subjects with human consciousness and humanity’s raw connection with the universe.
The words “tigering,” “gold,” “grandeur,” and “emerald” in the description of the fish and its natural habitat imbue the
Read MoreUtopian Works and Aestheticism in 19th Century Literature
Fin de Siècle: Utopian Works – News from Nowhere (1893)
The Origins of the 20th Century (1888-1901)
Fin de Siècle: Mechanical. Social: class shift, money is important, religion is important, and good manners are extremely important as evidence of new status and respect for laws. Art is an imitation of artistic works. The artist is a special individual; the work of art is an elitist product. There is a rejection of the middle and working classes.
Utopian Works: What is utopia? It is a concept with
Read MoreModernist Narrative and Catalan Literature Evolution
Modernist Narrative
Modernist authors crafted expressive prose, rich in poetic and linguistic devices. Key figures include:
- Santiago Rusiñol: Organized the Cau Ferrat celebrations, a modernist festival in Sitges (1892).
- Total Art: The concept that an artist should master various disciplines (writing, painting, music, etc.).
- Advance Magazine: A central publication for Modernist cohesion.
- Raimon Casellas (1855-1910): Art critic and theorist for La Vanguardia. His work, The Wild Assistant (1901), depicts
Meditations on Didactic Literature: XVI, XVII, and XVIII Centuries
Meditations on the XVI, XVII, and XVIII Centuries
The Didactic Genre
The didactic is a literary genre that presents scientific truths, doctrines, or knowledge in order to teach or explain them simply.
Dialogue or Philosophical Doctrine
The dialogue, cultivated by classical Greek philosophers like Plato and Socrates, and the Latin writer Cicero, is a frequently used didactic subgenre. It mimics a conversation between several characters, one of whom exposes their thesis and responds to others. This subgenre
Read MoreSpain’s Generation of ’98: Literary Renewal and Crisis
Generation of ’98
The Generation of ’98 is a literary trend from the late nineteenth century, created by a group of authors who attempted to renew literature in Spain. They addressed two fundamental issues: the decline of Spain (manifested by the loss of the colonial empire: Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, and the defeat by the U.S. in 1898) and existential angst.
Although there has been much debate about the appropriateness of this name (as writers like Baroja did not accept their inclusion)
Read MoreModern Poetry’s Genesis: Baudelaire to Symbolism
Late 19th Century Aesthetic Currents
In the late nineteenth century, different artistic movements emerged (Parnassianism, Symbolism, and Decadence) that shared some common characteristics:
- Opposition to Realism, positivism, and bourgeois society.
- Defense of creative freedom and a desire for rebellion.
- A non-utilitarian conception of art that seeks beauty in itself (“art for art’s sake”).
Parnassianism: Impersonal Perfection
This movement consisted of a group of French poets gathered around the writer
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