Essayists of the 98 and Noucentisme Generations in Spain
Essayists of the 98 Generation
The Generation of 1898 found its best expression in the reflective and confidential tone of the essay. All authors of this generation wrote collaborations in newspapers and magazines, later collected into books. Their essays drew inspiration from three main sources:
- Travels through the lands and peoples of Spain: They depicted customs, traditions, backwardness, poverty, the beauty of the landscape, and the dignity of its people in a subjective way.
- Readings of the classics:
Spanish Golden Age Theater: Plays and Playwrights
Representation in the Spanish Golden Age Theater
The theater was a spectacle of great social significance, lasting between two and three hours and encompassing all social groups. It used to observe a fixed order beginning with the Loa, followed by a small interlude, then the first act of the play, an appetizer course, then the second act, after a dance or a jácara, then the third act, and finally a masquerade.
Elements of Theatrical Representation
Visual and auditory elements were used to enhance
Read MoreMiguel Hernandez: Recurring Images and Symbols in His Poetry
Recurring Images and Symbols in Miguel Hernandez’s Poetry
In the works of Miguel Hernandez, certain images and symbols recur and evolve. His poetic world is shaped by his evolving conception of the poem and its subject. The intensity and significance of these images and symbols vary, even when the same words are used, depending on the poet’s stage of development. Two primary sources feed Hernandez’s symbolism: nature, connecting to the terrestrial, and the cosmos.
The Moon
The moon is a central motif
Read MoreShakespearean Era: Drama, Poetry, and Prose
The Age of Shakespeare
(Some critics question the concept of the “English Renaissance” and prefer to discuss “Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Cromwellian literatures” or “Early Modern Literature.” They highlight the achievements of previous literature and question the influence of the Italian Renaissance.)
Historical Background:
- 1455-1485: War of the Roses (dynastic war between the houses of York and Lancaster). Lancaster won, resulting in the House of Tudor ruling for over a century (1485-1603)
Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism: Literary Movements
Romanticism
A movement born in Germany and England in the 19th century.
Themes & Features:
- Expression of feelings and passions (unattainable love)
- Admiration for nature
- Desire for freedom in life and art
- Pessimism and anxiety about death and the mystery of existence
- Flight from reality in time and space
There were two tendencies:
- Romantic liberal and progressive: fought for freedom and democracy.
- Romantic traditionalist and conservative: defended the monarchy, tradition, and religion.
Authors:
- Goethe (great
Literary Analysis: Cervantes, Don Quixote, and San Juan de la Cruz
The Art of Novel Writing: Cervantes and Don Quixote
Cervantes presents the story of Don Quixote as found in various sources, diverging from the omniscient narrator. He vaguely recounts events, often attributing them to the protagonist’s perspective. Cervantes introduces Cid Hamet Benengeli, an Arab, as the original author of the manuscript, History of Don Quixote de la Mancha. Cervantes claims to merely follow this pre-existing narrative and employs a Moorish translator to render the manuscript into
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