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Light Imagery in the Spanish Ballad

:	Patricia Pogal
:	Light Imagery in the Spanish Ballad
:	Digitalia
:	9781882528165
:	1
:	CHF 53.70
:

:	Kunst, Literatur
:	English

:	163
:	DRM
:	PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
:	PDF

This book examines the origin of the medieval Spanish concept of light and the poetic function which luminous imagery serves. It concludes with an investigation of the traditional element (radiance) in the balladry of three Spanish poets: Lope de Vega, the Duque de Rivas, and Federico García Lorca.

INTRODUCTION (p. 1)

For seven centuries the traditional Spanish ballads have not only survived but blossomed, capturing and retaining the attention of listeners and critics alike. Throughout the years myriad theories have been advanced, with varying degrees of success, to explain the"Romancero`s" vitality. It is our contention that the Spanish ballad`s lustre is a prime source of its longevity.

In the following chapters, we will explore in depth this significant aspect of the"Romancero tradicionar~its imagery of light. We have distinguished the following five categories of glittering terminology: 1) Natural light—sun, moon, stars, lightning, 2) Candles and lanterns, 3) Precious metals and stones, 4) the color white, and 5) Supernatural light—objects which, mysteriously, radiate their own brilliance.

In the first chapter, we will discuss the generic unity of the"Romancero". We maintain that light imagery is a heretofore unrecognized element of traditional style and, as such, is purposely and regularly incorporated throughout the"Romancero".

We will then, in Chapter II, explore the influence of the medieval Spanish concept of light upon"Romancero" usage. These Middle Age beliefs clarify the original meanings of brilliant imagery. They range from folk superstitions with regard to the effect of natural phenomena upon human destiny, to Plato`s metaphysics of light—the latter refined in Spain by Latin translations of Jewish and Arabic writings on this theme.

The symbolism of such metaphysics has its roots in solar mythology. In both the former and the latter light is God and, by extension, truth and knowledge, love and beauty and power. The understanding of this concept provides tremendous insights into Spanish ballad luminosity.

Chapter III will deal with the poetic techniques through which such images are incorporated in the Spanish ballad in such a way as to actualize the tale. The"romances" evoke the same emotions felt by the characters in the hearts of the listeners, by means of juxtaposition of glitter and its perception through the eyes of the ballad protagonists themselves.

Light portrays an impressionistic realism more revealing than reality and this repeated sparkle hypnotizes the audience and draws it into the ballad story. The effect of such constant shining involves the listener in"romance" creation in the same way as Coleridge`s"Imagination" and Eisenstein`s"Montage" depend, for their success, on active audience participation.

Finally, in Chapter IV, we will examine Garcfa Lorca`s remarkable duplication of the traditional situations and methods of light imagery in his Romancero gitano as contrasted with the overdrawn ballads of Lope de Vega and the static" romances" of the Duque de Rivas.

In examining traditional balladry, it is important to consult versions which are, indeed traditional. This is why, for the most part, in the following study we have utilized Ferdinand Wolf and Conrad Hoffman`s collection of Spanish ballads. As the editors themselves explain, they have purposely taken their title from a seventeenth century"Romancero" in order to contrast their intention with that of the 1621 editor, for, unlike Arias Perez, who attempts to bring together the best of the artistic ballads of his time, the later editors have united the"genuine""romances" gathered from the folk.

	Table of Contents	6
	Introduction	10
	1. Generic Unity of the	10
	1. Generic Unity of the	10
	13	10
	Traditional Style	13
	A Case of Continuity: La adúltera	16
	Discontinuity in English Balladry	24
	2. The Medieval Spanish Concept of Light and its Effect on	24
	2. The Medieval Spanish Concept of Light and its Effect on	24
	28	24
	Human Destiny	29
	Evaluation	33
	a. Religion	33
	b. Truth and Knowledge: Moral Rectitude	41
	Love and Beauty	45
	Power: Royalty and Aristocracy	49
	3. The Poetic Function of Light Imagery in the	49
	3. The Poetic Function of Light Imagery in the	49
	63	49
	Intuitive, Immediate, Actualizing Nature of the	49
	Intuitive, Immediate, Actualizing Nature of the	49
	66	49
	Emotion	69
	Realism	74
	Hypnotic Effects	77
	Imagination	81
	Montage	86
	Conclusion	94
	4. GARCÍA LORCA	99
	Lope de Vega	99
	a. Las Almenas de Toro	99
	b. El Caballero de Olmedo	108
	Duque de Rivas	112
	a.	112
	a.	112
	113	112
	García Lorca	119
	a.	119
	a.	119
	120	119
	b.	119
	b.	119
	126	119
	c.	119
	c.	119
	131	119
	d. Conclusions	137
	5. Conclusions	140
	Footnotes	143