Preface and Acknowledgements
- Page ID
- 38314
Leyendas y arquetipos del Romanticismo español is an introduction to nineteenth-century Spanish literature with a thematic focus on legends and archetypes. It presents Romanticism in the context of nineteenth century literary and social movements. It is designed as a first anthology for intermediate Spanish students at American universities. Although brief, it includes poetry, drama in verse and short story. The works have been selected for their literary interest and the social importance of their themes.
The Prologue and introductions to the authors and texts often utilize circumlocution to facilitate comprehension, and include concrete examples of the concepts presented. The author biographies are brief and should not be used as study materials, but rather as starting points for students’ own exploration. Many students prefer following their own interests when researching author biographies, and the internet makes accesible a plethora of bibliographic resources, such as the Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes, the Centro Virtual Cervantes of the Cervantes Institute, or the Biblioteca Digital Hispánica of the Spanish National Library. Student participation in the selection of topics and sources emphasizes the investigative process and leads to richer class discussions.
Over 4000 vocabulary annotations are included to facilitate reading for intermediate students. Whenever possible, Spanish synonyms and paraphrases are used instead of translations in order to help students expand their vocabulary within a monolingual Spanish framework.
Acknowledgements
My sincerest gratitude to Kalen Oswald (Albion College), Rony Garrido (Cal State - Chico) and Isabel Jaén-Portillo (Portland State University) for their careful attention to the content and language of this brief collection, and to Eva Soto Perello for her attention to the vocabulary notes, captions, and comprehension questions.
Sincere thanks to José Luis Muñoz for allowing the inclusion of his painting Wallada, to Julieta Escobar for allowing inclusion of her allegorical illustration El Miserere, to Thomas Wievegg for permitting my use of his digital painting Scribbly Knight, to Alan Pérez for the photos of his copperplate engraving and aquatint print Estudio de Ensayos de Goya, and to Miguel Regodón Harkness for allowing the modification and inclusion of his painting Dark Siren. Also, thank you Eric Olsson for modifying this image for general audiences.
Thanks to Dr. Frédérique Morand for permiting the use of her digital reproduction of My Mirteo by María Gertrudis Hore, published in her Doña María Gertrudis Hore (1742-1801): Vivencia de una poetisa gaditana entre el siglo y la clausura (2004).
And a special thank you to Miguel Delatorre for his assistance in locating and identifying Radio Nacional de España’s episode La voz del silencio.
The support of the Open Access Textbooks initiative of the Portland State University Library has been fundamental in this project, and I am thankful for the aid of its Digital Initiatives Coordinator, Karen Bjork.
Reviews
In his prologue to Leyendas y arquetipos del Romanticismo español, Dr. Robert Sanders presents an excellent characterization of the Romantic period in Spain, in terms of how this movement stands within the dynamics of Spanish literature during the XIX century. His clear and well-articulated conceptualization of the period connects all the important dots smoothly, contraposing the features of Romanticism with the literary movements that preceded and followed it. His discussion of Romantic legends and archetypes in Spanish literature and the selection of the authors and texts included in this anthology show the care and attention to detail comparable to the undertakings of a Swiss watchmaker. There is no doubt his intended audience, junior-level university students of Spanish, will greatly benefit from this book. —Associate Professor of Spanish Rony Garrido, Cal State - Chico
Leyendas y arquetipos del Romanticismo español by Dr. Robert Sanders is an extremely useful anthology that would be ideal for an advanced undergraduate course on Spanish literature. The topic of Spanish Romanticism is broadly, but clearly and accurately defined in the prologue, and the authors and works included exemplify the key aspects that Dr. Sanders describes in his preliminary explanations. The prologue and the introductions to each author and work are clearly, concisely and accurately written in Spanish, witha style appropriate for advanced undergraduate students. Furthermore, the discussion questions included after each work are insightful, and the illustrations that accompany the anthology are purposeful and helpful. The selection of works is not meant to be an exhaustive anthology of all of Spanish Romanticism, rather a representative collection—of appropriate length to be used in a college course—of the principal themes, motifs, and variations of this literary movement in Spain. —Associate Professor of Spanish Kalen R. Oswald, Albion College
The choice of the primary topic articulating the whole book is both conscientious and befitting, as the archetype is indeed fundamental to explore the literary and cultural production of the period at hand. Dr. Sanders has carefully woven a tapestry of approaches to the Spanish Romantic culture that show the centrality of this theme, helping students relate it to the many spheres and ideas that conform the 19th-century Hispanic context.
The book is organized around some of the most important writers of this era and includes a general introduction that works as a grand organizer. This introduction constitutes a concise history of the archetype and the legend, along with a detailed account of the main literary movements in Spain during the 19Thcentury and also includes graphics to help students grasp some of the complex relationships among those cultural movements. It is a remarkable work of synthesis that offers a journey through Romantic cultural history while also clarifying for students some of the concepts that are key to study this period. —Associate Professor of Spanish Isabel Jaén-Portillo, Portland State U