Search Results

The Ideological Appropriation of La Malinche in Mexican and Chicano Literature
La Malinche is one of the most controversial figures in Mexican and Chicano literature. The historical facts about her life before and after the Spanish Conquest are largely speculative. What is reliably known is that she had a significant role as translator, which developed into something of mythic proportions. The ideological appropriation of her image by three authors, Octavio Paz, Laura Esquivel and Cherríe Moraga, are explored in this thesis. The full extent of the proposed rendition of La Malinche by Octavio Paz is the basis of the second chapter. The conclusion drawn by Paz, in The Labyrinth of Solitude (1950) is that La Malinche is what he calls la chingada [the raped/violated one] and proposes that all women are always open to conquest, sexually and otherwise. Laura Esquivel's novel Malinche (2006) is a re-interpretation that focuses on the tongue as the source of power and language as the ultimate source of autonomy for La Malinche. This aspect of La Malinche and the contrast of Paz's understanding are the basis of the third chapter of this thesis. Cherríe Moraga, in Loving in the War Years (1983), proposes that if women are to be traitors, it is not each other that they should betray but their cultural roles as mothers and wives. She writes that in order to avoid being the one who is passively colonized, women often times become el chingón. However, ultimately women are free of these limiting dichotomous roles are able to autonomously define themselves in a way that goes beyond these labels. This is only possible when La Malinche is re-interpreted by these by different authors.
Pasados Fragmentados:la Representación Teatral Del Robo De Niños En Las Dictaduras Española Y Argentina En Obras De Laila Ripoll Y Patricia Suárez
This study examines the theatrical representation of the stealing of children during the last dictatorships in Spain and in Argentina in Laila Ripoll's Los niños perdidos and Patricia Suárez's Astianacte: una máscara del amor under the lenses of the concepts of trauma, myth and memory. Following the theories suggested by Freud, Adorno, Whitehead, Reyes Mate and others, the first chapter discusses the representation of the psychological traumas left by the dictatorial practices left not only on the minds of individuals but also on both nations as whole entities. While Ripoll invites her audience to reflect upon the consequences of the Spanish Civil War and franquism, Patricia Suárez urges her spectators to doubt about their own identity if they were born during the last dictatorship in Argentina. In chapter two, the concepts advanced by Barthes, Reig Tapia and Moreno-Nuño help explore the ways in which the playwrights condemn the legitimizing myths that gave birth to these dictatorial regimes. Both authors subvert these fictional stories, mainly by the use of sarcasm and humor. By means of the concepts of memory supported by Benjamin, Todorov, Nora and Juliá, the third chapter examines the need to let the traditionally silenced voices tell their version of the historical events. Ripoll and Suárez warn their audiences that it is impossible to achieve one collective national memory because there are individual conflicting memories that stem from the personal experience of the traumatic events.
Dialogismo En El Cancionero De Miguel De Unamuno: Dialéctica De La Voz Poética
The present research is centered on Miguel de Unamuno's Songbook which is studied through the prism of the theory of dialogism elaborated by Mikhail Bakhtin. This study overcomes the limitation of Bakhtin's theory which extends solely to narrative genres, and argues that dialogism can also be applied to poetry. In this thesis I seek to rectify the critical oversight of this significant and original work of Unamuno and show that Songbook has panoply of innovative techniques aimed at creating the multiple poetic voices and dialogical interaction. Strong links are established between Bakhtin's theory, Unamuno's aesthetics and the postmodernist episteme of "the death of the author" which heralds the new era of fiction writing. I give a detailed analysis of Songbook's poetry based on Bakhtin's theory and incorporate the pragmalinguistic view of poetic discourse as a communicative act that involves a constant interaction between the addresser and the addressees. I find different types of dialogical expression in accordance with the number and the nature of different addressees at which the poet aims his discourse. This study shows that poetic tools forged by Unamuno are born of the need to express a conflictive inner world that is opposed to any type of dogmatism and monologism. Through the detailed analysis of the poetic discourse of Songbook it is demonstrated that Unamuno's innovations and experimentalism confer him a position of the precursor of postmodernism.
Muerte Y Soledad En La Poesía De Manuel Altolaguirre Ante El Exilio
This study focuses on the Spanish poet of the Generation of '27 Manuel Altolaguirre. The purpose of this thesis is to show how the poetry of Manuel Altolaguirre evolves in relation to specific issues. Specifically, I study the changes in his work in regard to the themes of death and solitude, resulting from exile in 1939, to be enriched by new experiences, many of them dramatic, taking more personal ways, while offering them a more profound and complex and even in regard to the subject of the poet's death comes to contemplate a more positive way. The thesis is divided into five chapters. Following the introduction, the second chapter focuses on Altolaguirre's biography and the Generation in 1927 while the third focuses and analyzes his poetry before his exile in 1939. The fourth chapter examines his poetry after exile until his death in 1959, while the fifth and last chapter concludes this study.
La Evolución Del Subalterno En Tres Novelas Mexicanas: La Negra Angustias, Balún Canán, Y Neonao
The subaltern is a recurrent literary figure in Mexican narrative. The objective of this thesis is to investigate three ethnic groups – indeed, subalterns – in Mexico which include: Afro-Mexicans, indigenous groups, and Filipino colonial subjects from the perspectives of the Mexican Revolution, post-revolutionary Mexico, and the conquest of the Philippines in the sixteenth century. The principal characters play crucial roles in events shaping the history and culture of Mexico and thus demonstrate their importance to the country's development while also revealing the reality of subalterns. The literary research shows that trying circumstances or a lack of self-identity were the main causes for a character to be or become a subaltern in addition to their inherent ethnic disadvantages. However, the characters who overcame their subaltern state often changed personality traits or adapted to their surroundings in order to be assimilated into the majority culture.
The Plot Structure in Pio Baroja's Novels
Categories titled simple plots, loose plots, no plots, and parallel plots are used within this thesis to organize and contrast sixteen novels by Spanish author Pio Baroja.
Dehumanization in the Theater of Valle-Inclán and Muñiz
This study proposes to establish an intrinsic relationship between Valle-Inclán and Muñiz based on the theme of dehumanization in their theater. It examines (1) the stylistic techniques which each playwright uses to depersonalize his characters, (2) the manner in which these characters dehumanize each other, (3) the role of society as the agent of dehumanization, and finally, due to each author's preoccupation with one social convention in particular (4) the devastating effects on men of the vestiges of an outmoded code of honor. The principal works used for the study are Valle-Inclán's Martes de carnaval, Luces de Bohemia, and Divinas palabras, and El tintero, Un solo de saxofón, Las viejas difíciles, and El grillo by Carlos Muñiz. Such an analysis proposes to reveal a profound literary affinity between these two writers, a bond which unites Valle-Inclán and Muñiz in a common protest against the dehumanization of mankind.
The Influence of Krausism in the Works of Pérez Galdós
This paper is a study of the major influence of the German philosophy, Krausism, in the writings of Benito Perez Galdds. The study is an analysis of the effects of this ideology on Spain and her people, as illustrated in the works of the most representative writer of the nineteenth century in that country. Also included is a discussion of historical incidents of the period which is necessary to place the acceptance of both this philosophy and the works of Perez Galdos in its proper perspective.
El Cine De Terror Español Como Espejo De La Cultura Española
This study traces the history and culture of Spain as seen through the lens of the nation´s production of horror cinema. Starting from the boom of Spanish horror film in the early 1960s, the thesis compares and contrasts the political and social aspects of Spanish society throughout three distinct eras of the 20th century: 1962 – 1975 (the boom of Spanish horror film through the Franco dictatorship), 1975 – 1999 (the transition to democracy through the end of the 20th century) and 2000 – present (the 21st century). Movies as diverse as Gritos en la noche (1962, Jesús Franco), ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? (1976, Narciso Ibáñez Serrador) and Angustia (1987, Bigas Luna) are framed by culturally-related anectodes as well as correlations to their respective social environments. Special attention has been paid to the production and release of each film, especially in regards to censorship during the Franco dictatorship. The results show that Spanish horror cinema has acted as a true mirror to culture, society and politics in its native country throughout the 20th century and that this trend will likely extend in to the future.
The Usage of Clitic Pronouns and the Influence of the Definite Article in Spanish among Spanish-Quechua Bilinguals in Peru
This study focuses on the clitic pronoun usage by Spanish-Quechua bilingual speakers in Cuzco, Peru when faced with a question that includes a definite article preceding the direct object. Answers are analyzed to determine whether or not the definite article has an effect on the presence or absence of the clitic pronoun. Direct objects tested were both [+human] and [-human] objects to determine if these variables affect clitic pronoun use as well. Speakers who have identified themselves as bilingual in both Spanish and Quechua were given a survey to complete in order to see what factors may contribute to the use or omission of the clitic pronouns.
Musical Ekphrasis in the Poetry of Nicolás Guillén, Federico García Lorca, and Langston Hughes
Musical ekphrasis was occurring in the twentieth century in different centers around the world, Cuba: Andalusia, Spain; and Harlem, New York, simultaneously. The writers at the heart of this movement used poetry about music as a means to celebrate the cultures of the marginalized people in their lands, los negros, los gitanos, and African-Americans. The purpose of this study is to define musical ekphrasis and identify it in the works of Nicolás Guillén, Federico García Lorca, and Langston Hughes. Also explored are the common characteristics in ekphrastic poetry by the three poets and the common themes found in their ekphrastic poetry, as well as common influences. Each author is considered in the context of his surroundings and his respective culture, and how that influenced his musical tastes as well as his writing style.
Social and Political Background in the Novels of the Mexican Revolution
This thesis examines the agrarian, ecclesiastical, political, industrial, and educational background of the Mexican Revolution through the eyes of six of Mexico's novelists: Azuela, Lopez y Fuentes, Guzman, Romero, Muñoz, and Campobello.
El amor como fuerza motivadora en la vida y obra poética y dramática de Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda
This thesis presents a study of events in the life of Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, a lyric poetess and dramatist during the Romantic period, as motivating forces in her literary career. As might be expected in the case of a true representative of the Romantic period, Avellaneda's passions and personal life are reflected in all of her works. She uses human and divine love as the main themes throughout all of her literary production, especially in her lyric poetry and the four tragedies chosen for this study: Munio Alfonso (1844), El Príncipe de Viana (1844), Saúl (1849), and Baltasar (1858).
La violencia en el Teatro de Guillén de Castro
This analysis, written in Spanish, compares the use of violence in four of Castro's dramas with its use in their sources and in the works of other Golden Age authors. Chapter II investigates the manner in which the plays based on Greek myths compare with the original stories and with the ancient Classical theater. Each of the four following chapters compares one of Castro's plays to contemporary works with the same plot. The conclusion indicates that Castro's plays do not show an extraordinary use of violence. In some instances Castro demonstrates more restraint than the other dramatists. Thus, Castro, as a typical author of his epoch, does not deserve his reputation for writing excessively violent works.
Emilia Pardo Bazán: Feminism in Her Life and Works
The purpose of this investigation is to show the relationship between the autobiographical information evidenced by the principal female characters in Emilia Pardo Bazan's major novels and her influence on nineteenth-century feminism in Spain. The changing nature of Pardo Bazan's feminism is studied through an analysis of two literary phases in her work. In the first, classified as naturalistic, Pardo Bazan concentrates on the nineteenth century woman and her limited role within society. The second phase reveals a change of perspective as the author creates a character type: this "new woman" is an expression of her feminist beliefs. As Pardo Bazan sought support for feminist goals, diverse intellectual activities characterized her life and became an integral aspect of her art.
Mariano Azuela, Novelist of the Mexican Revolution
This thesis discusses the life and works of the Mexican novelist Mariano Azuela, who lived and wrote during the time of the Mexican Revolution.
Characterization and Principal Themes in the Novels of Gustavo A. Martinez Zuviria (pseud. Hugo West)
This thesis examines the themes in the work of Argentine novelist Gustavo Adolfo Martínez Zuviría, who wrote under the pseudonym of Hugo West.
An Evaluation of the Third and Fourth Series of Pérez Galdós' Episodios Nacionales
The purpose of this thesis is to make a study of the third and fourth series of the Episodios nacionales. The study will deal with the plot structure, the characterization, and the historicity of the twenty novels which make up the two series.
Romantic Characteristics in Gutiérrez Nájera's Poetry
This thesis presents a brief background of poetry in Mexico in the nineteenth century, along with a biography of Manuel Gutiérrez Nájera and a study of his three poetic periods: 1876-1886, 1886-1890, 1890-1895.
La ley de memoria histórica en el cine y la novela españoles
This thesis investigates the Spanish identity crisis through structural, political and representational intersectionality by means of the Law of Historic Memory, also known as LEY 52/2007 del 26 de diciembre. This work, written in Spanish, explores relational aspects of various contemporary themes within four post-Franco novels and four Spanish films: Réquiem por un campesino español by Ramón J. Sender and its corresponding film directed by Francesc Betriu; Soldados de Salamina by Javier Cercas and its corresponding film directed by David Trueba; La voz dormida by Dulce Chacón and its corresponding film directed by Benito Zambrano; and Los girasoles ciegos by Alberto Méndez and its corresponding film directed by José Luis Cuerda. Linked by a variety of human elements that affect the individual as much as the collective, the works explore sacrifice, betrayal, indifference and injustice. Each novel and movie pair offers a glimpse of individual memory that, at the same time, belongs to collective memory. Delving into the effects of LEY, this thesis considers the role of the Catholic Church, the general atrocities of war, the role of women in the Spanish Civil War, and the fractured family unit. Lastly, this thesis delineates how these effects apply to the healing of individual and collective memories so as to recover what it means to be Spanish.
El Arquetipo Del Narco Mexicano En La Novela, El Cine, Y La Música
Various groups of Mexican culture have assigned to el narco archetypical characteristics of a heroic figure in the literary, visual, and auditory arts. As a result, today’s narcocultura has expanded its tentacles to a vast array of prominent industries, such as publishing companies, the silver screen, and recording studios. El narco is no longer seen by some sectors as the outlaw that stalks our society but, instead, as a hero who fights against a hegemonic faction to reclaim his sovereignty. This thesis unites interdisciplinary observations of the narco phenomena that Mexican culture has assigned to the iconic figure of el narco. The purpose of this work is to recreate the evolutionary development through a theoretical-literary analysis of this prototype in order to better understand Mexican society’s stance on this phenomenon. Octavio Paz’s theory of the Mexican psyche, Joseph Campbell’s theory of the hero’s journey, and an interdisciplinary focus will be employed to analyze this iconic figure. In this thesis, my aim is to investigate how an ultra-conservative Mexican society evolved into a consortium that upholds the narco’s indistinct behaviors and actions. What roles do first world governments and the Mexican state play to fortify, eradicate, or control the narco phenomenon? Finally, which is the most prudent strategy to coexist in a world alongside the narco?
Estrategias Didácticas para la Enseñanza del Enfoque Léxico y las Nuevas Tecnologías de la Información y de la Comunicación (TIC) en la Clase de Español como Lengua Extranjera (ELE)
The purpose of this research was to use a lexical approach, and information and communication technologies (ICT) as strategies to facilitate learning to students of Spanish as a foreign language, to answer the research questions: (1) if the use of multiword lexical units improves the lexical competence and (2) whether the use of technology is an effective strategy to facilitate learning. A lesson plan with different activities was designed and put into practice with two groups of students (experimental and control) of the intermediate level of the University of North Texas (UNT). The collected data were analyzed using the quantitative paradigm with the variance model ANOVA with repeated measures, and the qualitative or interpretive paradigm to offer a broader perspective of the learning process of multiwords lexical units (collocations and idiomatic expressions). The results of this investigation answered the research questions and confirmed the effectiveness of the lexical approach and ICT in the teaching-learning process and facilitated the student's acquisition of L2.
The Diminishing Value of the Simple-Present Tense in Spanish among Spanish-English Bilinguals Living in the United States
Language change is constant due to varied linguistic and sociolinguistic factors. Specifically, prolonged situations of language in contact have been observed to have a direct influence on language change and variation. Previous studies have documented several changes that may occur within bilingual speech communities in sustained circumstances of language in contact. This study examines the possibility of attrition of the simple present form of Spanish in bilingual speakers of Spanish and English due to prolonged interaction between the two languages. Specifically, it attempts to determine whether the value of the Spanish simple present tense diminishes, and the present progressive form gains prominence as a result of language transfer occurring where there is intensive contact between Spanish and English. In order to determine that this linguistic phenomenon has occurred in bilingual speech communities, data were collected and analyzed from bilingual Spanish and English speakers living in the United States. To demonstrate bilingual speakers' use of the simple and progressive present forms, participants were instructed to complete two tasks: 1) a background questionnaire designed to gather information regarding each participants' relationship with the Spanish language, and 2) a picture-narration task designed to reveal each bilingual's preference for the simple present or progressive form. The study intended to show that in prolonged situations of language in contact between Spanish and English the bilingual speaker without little or no formal education in Spanish would transfer features from the dominant language (English) to the minority language (Spanish) in an attempt to cope with the task of working in two different linguistic systems. The results of the written-narrative task show that bilingual participants did demonstrate support for the use of the progressive rather than the simple-present form of the present tense when referring to actions perceived as ongoing or continuous among all three groups of participants. …
Leccioncitas Prácticas en Español Texto para Niños en la Escuela Primaria
This group of lessons is intended to help the child who does not speak Spanish to learn the language. The text is based on the interests of a child; in his dramatic attempts; in his love of the beautiful and the natural. It is not entirely complete, but the author hopes that it serves to give an idea how these materials can be used.
Spanish Migration in Contemporary Spanish Literature and Film
Spain underwent drastic social and political changes in the last decades of the twentieth century which also affected the nation’s patterns of emigration. Contemporary Spanish literature and film that portray these decades reflect the country’s fluctuating characteristics of migration. ¡Vente a Alemania, Pepe! (1971) by Pedro Lazaga, Coto vedado (1985) by Juan Goytisolo, El hijo del acordeonista (2003) by Bernardo Atxaga, and Yoyes (2000) by Helena Taberna demonstrate Spain’s migration trends during the last years of Franco’s dictatorship and the transition to democracy. The nation’s highly increased socioeconomic development in the 1970s and 1980s which eventually led to a first-world status also affected emigration, which can be seen in Carlota Fainberg (1999) by Antonio Muñoz Molina, Kasbah (2000) by Mariano Barroso, Restos de carmine (1999) by Juan Madrid, and Map of the Sounds of Tokyo (2009) by Isabel Coixet.
La Búsqueda de la Identidad Femenina en las Novelas de Dos Autoras Mexicanas
The novel is one means by which writers can provide examples of the possibilities for women in patriarchal societies to seek greater independence. Sabina Berman (1955- ) and Silvia Molina (1946- ) are modern day Mexican novelists whose writings support the betterment of the female condition in this Latin American society. This study focuses on these two authors and describes and analyzes several of their female protagonists who can be characterized as being in search of their self-identity and self-realization. The novels of interest are La Bobe (2006) and La Mujer que Buceó Dentro del Corazón del Mundo (2010) by Sabina Berman and La Mañana Debe Seguir Gris (1977) and El Amor Que Me Juraste (1998) by Silvia Molina. The theoretical framework used to analyze these novels is based on The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir and on the writings of the Mexican author Rosario Castellanos. These novels provide examples of how women can challenge patriarchal social norms in order to seek their identity as an individual and their self-realization. However, to do this, women must be willing to accept the risks and costs that may accompany this self-searching. By seeking identity women can satisfy their longings and desires, but at the same time this may also produce undesired results. Nevertheless, these novels show that women have the ability to seek their personal identity if they take the initiative to do so.
La Sátira en las Novelas de Ramón Pérez de Ayala
This thesis has as its purpose to make a study of the satirical vein that is revealed in the novels of Ramón Pérez de Ayala. It will be the goal to discover in these works the human habits and weaknesses that receive the censure of the author and to determine the means by which the novelist expresses his disapproval.
Representative Gaucho Poetry and Fiction of Argentina
This thesis presents a short history and description of the gaucho of Argentina and explores some of the literature that portrays the gaucho way of life.
El Desarrollo de los Caracteres Anormales en las Obras de Emilia Pardo Bazán
The purpose of this investigation is to determine the change in characterization that takes place in the works of Emilia Pardo Bazán. Source material include the writings of such critics of Spanish literature as Richard Chandler, Kessel Schwartz, Emiliano Díez-Echarri, José M. Roca Franquesa, Federico C. Saínz de Robles, and José A. Balseiro. Emilia Pardo Bazán wrote a total of twenty novels. From this collection ten were selected which best exemplify the change in characterization in her writings.
The Novels of Juan Valera
This study is an attempt to analyze the novels of Juan Valera y Alcala Galiano, with particular attention to the characterization of the principal figures.
Francisco Garcia Pavon: Creator of the Literary Detective Story in Spain
The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining how Francisco Garcia Pavon's concept the detective novel evolved throughout the period during which he cultivated that literary form. To trace this evolution Garcia Pavon's detective novels and novelettes are studied in chronological order of publication, each work being given a chapter of its own. The character development is analyzed and the style is given consideration in the study.
Various Aspects of Life as Seen through the Humor of Julio Camba
The purpose of this study is twofold: the first and most important purpose is to examine the various forms of humor; the second is to present views of the author concerning universal topics.
Temporal, Spatial, and Identity Displacement in the Short Stories of Julio Cortazar
The purpose of this study is to analyze the techniques through which Julio CortSzar presents and explores the literary concepts of temporal, spatial and identity displacement. The author's radical departure from the more traditionally structured view of these notions is certainly one of the most perplexing and controversial aspects of his literary style.
Novelas Indigenistas Representativas de America
In this thesis have been included six novels of the indigenous type that represent four countries of Latin America: Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru. This type of novel contains elements of social protest, and therefore it is appropriate to examine the problem of the "indio" or (Indian) in relation to the countries where the majority of the population is comprised of "Indians".
Descripción del Escenario Rural Uruguayo en las Obras de Javier de Viana
This thesis describes the work of Uruguayan-born author Javier de Viana and his imagery of Uruguayan rural life in his short stories and novellas.
The Plays of Miguel Mihura
This thesis will give a brief biography of Miguel Mihura, summarize and discuss his more important plays, comment on the less important ones, and point out recurrent patterns and themes, with the hope that the general public as well as the student of Spanish, may be better informed of the values to be found in the works of this writer.
After the Storm: an Adaptation of Sobre las Ruinas, by Roberto J. Payró
The present thesis is an experiment in adaptation of one of Roberto Payró's plays for staging in English. Sobre las Ruinas was chosen both because it is one of the best known of his works and because no previous translation is known to exist.
An Inquiry into Possible Plagiarism in Blasco Ibáñez's La Horda
The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether Blasco Ibáñez in his novel La Horda used Pío Baroja's Material which was published in La Lucha por la Vida. Baroja claimed that he did. Therefore, this paper compares the two novels to discover similarities in their settings, their plots, and their characters.
Las Obras de Carlos Fuentes
This thesis considers the novels of Carlos Fuentes from a thematic point of view, as well as looking at the place of the writer in Mexican narrative tradition. It also presents a brief history of the Mexican novel.
Prose Writings of José Rubén Romero
This thesis presents a brief biography of the Mexican writer José Rubén Romero and discusses his prose writings, with an emphasis on his novels.
Enrique Pérez Eschrich
No extensive study exists that covers the foundation of the dramatic works of Enrique Pérez Escrich, therefore we believe it will be a positive use of our efforts in this thesis to examine this aspect of his literary personality. We will divide his works between dramas and comedies, dedicating a chapter to each.
El Arte Hiperólico de Gabriel García Márquez
This thesis examines the fiction of the Columbian author Gabriel García Márquez, and focuses on hyperbole as a fundamental characteristic of Márquez's fiction. There is special interest in three aspects of his work: setting, people, and themes.
La Poesía Lírica Colombiana
In this work, superficial to the extreme, it is my purpose to offer a review of the development of lyric poetry ("poesía lírica") in Colombia throughout its history. It is logical that because of the extent of the subject it is not possible to give a complete treatment of our political history, though I have tried not to leave out points of significance. The classification of authors and of poems, as well as the division of periods I have made arbitrarily, guided by my own criteria. Thus, I have the Romantic period divided into romanticism and post-romanticism, according to the dates generally regarded as the beginning and end of these two literary movements. In reality, romanticism only ended with the beginning of modernism, and one cannot therefore distinguish romantic poets from post-romantic poets. Due to the nature of this thesis, many poets--some of them well known--will not be mentioned. However, my intention is not to write a lyric anthology, but to reveal the spirit of Columbia through her poets and her poetry.
Carnaval, grotesco y dialogismo en las zarzuelas de Pablo Sorozábal
In the present study, the three principal theories of Russian theorist Mikhail Bakhtin--the carnavalesque, grotesque, and dialogical--are applied to the musical-theatre genre of the Spanish zarzuela. The focus of the study centers on the works of composer Pablo Sorozábal and the various librettists who collaborated with him, among them the renowned literary author Pío Baroja. Within this study, zarzuela is first analyzed on its own in terms of the academic debate surrounding the genre and its importance in terms of both literary and musical criticism. After establishing the particular capacity of the zarzuela to make important cultural contributions, the central theoretical framework of the thesis is established via Bakhtinian theory, and several links are drawn between this theory and the genre of the zarzuela, which is shown to be a body of work often capable of conveying subversive messages, both cultural and sociopolitical. With this critical lens, then, the specific sociopolitical context of Spain between 1931-1942 is analyzed and described in order to illustrate the various extratextual and intertextual elements at play in Sorozábal's zarzuelas. The three works ultimately studied are Katiuska (1931), Adiós a la bohemia (1933), and Black, el payaso (1942). By way of highlighting the Bakhtinian characteristics at play in these three zarzuelas, the composer's intention to challenge and criticize Spain's sociopolitical reality, including Francoist dictatorship, is revealed, illustrating the capacity of the zarzuela to challenge and transgress existing norms--an aspect that many critics have failed to recognize in the genre up to the present day.
The Immigrant's Daugher: an Adaptation of La Gringa, by Florencio Sánchez
This thesis is an experiment in adapting a Florencio Sánchez play for staging in English. La Gringa was chosen because it is the best known of Sánchez' works, and because, to this writer's knowledge, no translation of this play is available.
El Pensamiento de José Martí tergiversado como Ideología Política y de Lucha por la Revolución Cubana
The political ideologies that Martí envisioned of an America free from the inherited yoke of European ideals were taken by Fidel Castro as an anti-imperialist discourse. Therefore, Marti’s political vision on the power that the United States began to carry out at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century was an excellent strategy to establish the anti-imperialist character of the Cuban revolution. Since 1961, Castro set Martí as the face of his Marxist-Leninist ideology to institute his anti-American philosophy; Castro created a myth of Marti’s persona, and converted him into the bastion of his political ideology. As a result, Castro distorted the revolutionary ideas of Marti’s. Castro proposed his ideas out of context and portrayed the incorrect idea of this great thinker and poet. Martí’s human ethic and love for the independence of Cuba placed Martí as a liberator of revolutionary and progressive ideas of his generation. Martí was not thought as a dictator and never was a man who lacked democratic values. The expressed analytical assimilation of Martí on his sociopolitical and economic juncture that was presented in America and Cuba was used to trace the political anti-imperialist propaganda by the dictatorial regime lead by Castro. This thesis will emphasize the persona of Jose Martí as a revolutionary, visionary and educator of his generation, then it will present the incorrect interpretation of Marti’s ideology by Fidel Castro, as an ideal to embark his revolution. Finally, the differences of his ideas in contrast to the political and social ideology of the Cuban revolution will be explained.
La Tradición Erótica Y La Vanguardia En La Poesía De Ernestina De Champourcín
The unfolding of eroticism always has been controlled socially; its expression forbidden for the women and accepted for the men. Ernestina de Champourcín’s poetry is an example of the presence of eroticism and the Avant-Garde in Spanish poetry. Champourcín becomes a member of the Generation of ‘27 after appearing in the prologue of Gerardo Diego’s anthology, Poesía Española Contemporßnea (1934). According to this thesis, the shortage of studies on her work is due to her exile, not to the Spanish Civil War. The exposition celebrates the life and work of Champourcín and studies the relationship between the Avant-Garde and sensuality in her poetry and in poems of Pedro Salinas and Vicente Aleixandre. It compares their individual handling of the Avant-Garde, the sexual act, and love, and concludes that Champourcín’s poetry is as Avant-Garde and erotic as the works of her companions of the Generation of ‘27.
Realism e Idealismo en los Personajes Dramáticos de García Lorca
The purpose of this investigation is to characterize the dramatic characters of Federico García Lorca as realists or idealists. Lorca wrote a total of fifteen plays, and the majority of them are considered in this study. Additional source materials include the works of such critics as J. Alberich, María Teresa Babín, Alfredo de la Guardia, and Francisco Umbral.
Las Dos Fases Ideológicas en la Novela de Palacio Valdés
This thesis looks at the two idological phases of Armando Palacio Valdés' writings as manifested in his novels.
El ékfrasis en la Poesía De Manual Machado
Manuel Machado is known as one of the most innovative Spanish modernist poets of the twentieth century. Despite his recognition as a literary figure in Spain, the mimetic descriptions in Machado's poetics are interpreted as mere innovations in Spanish poetry. Those mimetic descriptions are examples of ekphrasis in Spanish literature. Ekphrasis is both a literary and representational art. The mimetic dimension in Machado's poetry is ignored or misinterpreted by the critics of his poetics. This study written in Spanish investigates the use of ekphrasis in terms of Machado's poetic style. An analysis of Manuel Machado's ekphrastic poems will determine: ekphrastic poetry is a representational art; how visual and acoustic aspects of Machado's poems create enargeia; and the manifestation of ekphrasis in Spanish verse. In using Machado's poems, this project will contribute to future explorations of ekphrasis in Spanish literature.
Back to Top of Screen