Jacobean and Caroline Drama: Middleton and Ford
Jacobean Drama: Plays of Thomas Middleton
Dramatic Considerations
- The sense of defeat: A marked characteristic of the Jacobeans, reflecting a pessimistic view of life.
- Apprehensions and disillusionment: Pervasive in political and social life.
- Impending fate: A constant presence in the plays.
- Preoccupation with death: A contrast to the Elizabethan love of life.
- Spiritual uncertainty: A key element in understanding Jacobean drama.
Thomas Middleton
Biographical Profile
- Active playwright for over 20 years (1602-
Spanish Literature: Novecentismo to the Generation of ’27
Novecentismo and Avant-Garde
Two significant literary movements emerged as reactions against Modernist art and literature.
Novecentismo (1910s)
Novecentismo characterized a group of Spanish intellectuals and writers emerging around 1910. They prioritized pure art forms and aesthetic enjoyment. Key aspects include:
- Essay: The most cultivated genre. José Ortega y Gasset is a prominent figure, known for his clear style and focus on the “dehumanization of art.”
- Novel: Moved away from sentimentality and
Modernism and the Generation of ’98: Art and Philosophy
Modernism: An Aesthetic Renewal
Modernism is an aesthetic renewal movement that gathers and synthesizes vital, innovative attitudes and artistic philosophies of the late 19th century. It resulted from a crisis of bourgeois consciousness, reacting against the materialism and utilitarian spirit of the time.
Its ideal is to express beauty with a new sensitivity, using a new, precious, and groundbreaking language that departs from realism. In France, it stems from two movements:
- Parnassianism: Worships
Gonzalo de Berceo and the Archpriest of Hita: Works
Gonzalo de Berceo
Gonzalo de Berceo (1196-1265) is the first Spanish poet with a known name. He was born in Berceo (La Rioja) and was a cleric linked to the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla.
His works have religious, educational, and moral themes and are based on Latin sources, as he acknowledges.
- His work: He wrote several lives of saints, such as Santo Domingo de Silos, San Millán, and Santa Oria, but his most important work is The Miracles of Our Lady.
- His style: He is a conscious author who
Catalan Poets: Francesc Vicent Garcia to Segarra
Francesc Vicent Garcia
This poem was written by Francesc Vicent Garcia, a Baroque author of the 16th-17th century. He lived in the modern era, a time greatly affected by historical events such as wars and epidemics. Born in Tortosa, he died in Vallfogona. His poetry was varied and was released a few years after his death.
In terms of style, the Baroque movement had a rapid spread throughout Europe. It is characterized by opposition to the preceding Renaissance movement; the values it offered were
Read MoreModernist Literature: A Deep Dive into its Characteristics
Modernist Literature
Modernist literature is a sub-genre of Modernism, a predominantly European movement beginning in the early 20th century that was characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional aesthetic forms. Representing the radical shift in cultural sensibilities surrounding World War I, modernist literature struggled with the new realm of subject matter brought about by an increasingly industrialized and globalized world. In its earliest incarnations, modernism fostered a utopian
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