Symbolism and Expressionism in Literature
Key Characteristics of Symbolism
Symbolism, a late 19th-century movement, prioritized suggestion and the evocation of emotions and ideas over direct representation. Key features include:
- Musicality of Verse: “Music before all things,” as poet Paul Verlaine stated. Symbolists believed music was uniquely capable of expressing the ineffable (what cannot be expressed in words). This resulted in a search for suggestive movement in poetic language, often using assonance instead of strict rhyme.
- Power of
Philology: A Historical Journey Through Language Studies
Ancient Greece
Philology is the study of language in terms of history.
Cratylus is a dialogue about the origins of language and the nature of meaning.
- Hermogenes argued that language originated as a product of convention. He believed the relationship between words and things is arbitrary, stating, “for nothing has its name by nature but only by usage and custom.”
- Cratylus posited that language came into being naturally, and therefore an intrinsic relationship exists between words and things.
Aristotle
Read MoreShakespearean Criticism: From Neoclassical to Hamlet’s Analysis
Critical Approaches to Shakespeare
17th Century (Neoclassical Criticism)
Ben Jonson: Shakespeare was a poet “not of an age, but for all time.” Criticized for not following Aristotelian rules but praised for his “Nature” and “Fancy.”
John Dryden: Highlighted Shakespeare’s “Images of Nature” but noted flaws in judgment and language. Adapted some of Shakespeare’s plays.
Thomas Rymer: Harshly criticized Shakespeare for ignoring classical unities and blending comedy and tragedy.
18th Century (Editorial Criticism)
Read MoreAvant-Garde Movements: Futurism, Cubism, Surrealism in Europe and Spain
Avant-Garde Movements in Art and Literature
Avant-garde reacted against the values, aesthetic production, and literary tradition of the bourgeoisie of the time.
General Features of Avant-Garde Movements
- Formation of trend groups, the statement of principles in manifestos, and the publication of works in literary magazines.
- Opposition to the previous cultural and artistic tradition and a desire to make a total change.
- Rejection of the imitation of reality, verisimilitude (anti-realism), and therefore,
Spanish Modernism and the Generation of 98: Key Features and Influences
Spanish Modernism and the Generation of 98
The Modernism movement rejected the rhetoric of Romanticism. Chronologically, there are two phases in Spanish Modernism: early Modernism and a more controversial, tamed later phase. From 1913, when Azorín used the concept Generation of 98 to refer to the new writers of the time, the distinction spread between authors who took refuge in aestheticism (modernist) and those showing a critical attitude towards reality (Unamuno, Baroja, and Azorín).
One feature
Read MoreSpanish Golden Age Theater and Novel: Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Calderón, Cervantes
Spanish Golden Age Theater and Novel
Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega: He created a dramatic new formula that triumphed in the Spanish art scene. His comedies are characterized by:
- Freedom in the choice of topic.
- Mixture of tragic and comic elements.
- Unity of action and freedom of place and time (apart from the classical unities).
- Division into three acts (compared to five in classical comedies: beginning, middle, and end).
- Verisimilitude in the characters’ speech, according to their social status.
- Adequacy of