Unit 1: La Época Medieval and The Golden Age Transition

Reconquista

Period from 711 to 1492 when Christian kingdoms sought to regain control of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule.

Oral Tradition

Literary works transmitted verbally before being written down.

Didacticism

Literature intended to teach a moral, religious, or practical lesson.

Teocentrism

Belief that God is the center of the universe.

Meta-fiction

A narrative that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, often through a framing device.

Cajas Chinas

A structure where stories are nested within one another, similar to Russian dolls.

Pareado

A rhyming couplet that summarizes a moral or lesson in a story.

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally.

Dialogue

A literary device that involves conversation between characters, revealing their relationships and driving the action.

Romances Fronterizos

Border ballads composed during the Reconquista that reflect cultural conflict.

Octosyllabic

A metric line of verse containing eight syllables.

Rima Asonante

A poetic rhyme based on the repetition of vowel sounds in the even-numbered lines.

In Media Res

A narrative that begins in the middle of the action.

Estribillo

A refrain or repeated line in a poem that emphasizes a theme.

Polyphony

The presence of multiple voices or perspectives within a literary work.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings different from their literal sense.

Carpe Diem

A Latin phrase meaning 'seize the day,' emphasizing the importance of enjoying the present.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'.

Personification

Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.

Hyperbaton

A figure of speech involving a changed or inverted order of words.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Honor

A key theme in medieval literature representing one's dignity and reputation.

Aesthetic

Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty; a characteristic aim of Renaissance literature.

Siglo de Oro

The 'Golden Century' referring to a period of great flourishing in arts and literature in Spain.

Anthropocentrism

A perspective emphasizing human importance over religious or divine authority.

Hendecasyllabic

A metric line of verse containing eleven syllables.

Heptasyllabic

A metric line of verse containing seven syllables.