Spanish Literature: A Very Short Introduction (The Oxford Very Short Introductions Series #1)

Jo Labanyi


Rated: 3.50 of 5 stars
3.50 · 2 ratings · 139 pages · Published: 26 Aug 2010

Spanish Literature: A Very Short Introduction by Jo Labanyi
Spanish literature has given the world the figures of Don Quixote and Don Juan, and is responsible for the "invention" of the novel in the 16th century. The medieval period produced literature in Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew, and today there is a flourishing literature in Catalan, Galician, and Basque as well as in Castilian--the language that has became known as "Spanish." Moreover, a multilayered history of exile has produced a transnational literary output, while writers in Spain have engaged with European cultural trends. This Very Short Introduction explores this rich literary history, which resonates with contemporary debates on transnationalism and cultural diversity. The book sheds much light on the ways in which Spanish literature has been read, in and outside Spain, explaining misconceptions, outlining the insights of recent scholarship, and suggesting new readings. It highlights the precocious modernity of much early modern Spanish
literature, and shows how the gap between modern ideas and social reality stimulated creative literary responses in subsequent periods and how contemporary writers have adjusted to Spain's recent accelerated modernization.

Tagged as:

    romance tags

    crime tags

    literary-fiction tags

    historical-fiction tags

    fantasy tags

    sci-fi tags

    action-adventure tags

    thriller tags

    horror tags

    Collections/Custom tags


    Reviews