Chapter 1: Independence and Literary Emancipation
Main/important points highlighted
in red; comps stuff highlighted in blue and listed below.
Comps people/stuff mentioned
-
José
Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi – El periquillo
sarniento (pg. 34-37)
-
Simón
Bolívar – Carta a Jamaica (pg. 38-39)
-
José
Joaquín Olmedo (pg. 41-42)
-
Andrés Bello (pg. 42-43)
-
José
María de Heredia (pg. 44-45)
General notes
Introduction
-
Literary and political independence of Spanish
America were simultaneous (28)
-
Colonials wanted to separate from Spain; they
realized they had a pretty sweet deal in America (28)
-
Local newspapers
– interest in news/gossip, sense of identity and common interest (28)
Preparing for Independence
-
No movement of writers who contributed to the
literary emancipation of Latin America – they wrote in isolation (28)
-
Three important men that contributed to literary
emancipation (29)
o
Alonso Carrió de la Vandera – Spanish born
Peruvian official
o
Francisco
Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo – writer from Quito
o
José Joaquín Fernández
de Lizardi – Mexican journalist (the
only one on the list)
-
Carrió de la Vandera (29-32)
o
El lazarillo de ciegos caminantes – Purpose was to expose info about Spain/Latin
America commerce, etc. Used a humorous tone, penname, and false date of
publication to escape censorship. Included some major satire and criticism.
o
He was a Spanish official and just wanted
Spanish rule to improve.
-
Francisco
Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo (32-34)
o
“he believed that any consideration of the
situation of Spanish America must begin from direct observation of the environment”
(33)
o
“el
conocimiento propio es el origen de nuestra felicidad” (33)
-
José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi – in general (34-35)
o
Mexican journalist and novelist; life: 1776-1827
(34)
o
Modest Creole family background, son of a doctor
(34)
o
First rebellion against Spanish rule in Mexico
broke out in 1810 – Lizardi had rebel sympathies (34)
o
He published a couple newspapers
which were condemned by censors for outspoken rebellious views – he was
imprisoned a couple times (34)
o
His
first novel: El periquillo sarniento
in 1816
§
Used satire/comedy as a vehicle for opinions
which might have been unpublishable in any other form (34)
§
“the fourth part of this novel could not be published
in the first edition of 1816 since his views on the abolition
of slavery were too
advanced even when put into the mouth of a fictional character” (34)
o
Lizardi
is regarded as the first Spanish-American novelist, but this was a role taken
on due to pressure of circumstances rather than by choice (34)
o
He
wrote during a period of severe censorship
that coincided with the absolutist rule of Fernando VII of Spain [1816 –
constitutionalist revolution of 1820] (34)
o
Was excommunicated in 1822 for his criticism of
the strong Catholic presence in the Mexican government (35)
o
Represents a new type of Spanish American, for
whom the newspaper served as a weapon (35)
o
Criticized Spanish administration and education for
its backwardness (35)
-
Fernández de Lizardi – El periquillo
sarniento (35-37)
o
This was Lizardi’s first major work; “a
picaresque work presenting the errors and follies of a hero whose environment
and poor education combined to give him weak and stupid attitudes” (35)
o
El Periquillo is a passive hero, “a man who
protests too much without ever resisting the temptations put in his path” (35)
o
Hero is exposed to bad influences from early on –
“ignorant maids inculcate superstitions, his mother indulges his whims, his
teachers either have no vocation or no ability to discipline him”
o
Periquillo is incredibly ignorant despite many
encounters with good and wise people (36)
o
Sort of picaresque series of jobs due to his
unwillingness to work or take anything seriously (36)
o
Idea that the Spanish
government and the education system encourage parasitism and laziness
(36)
o
Lizardi’s world is divided into undeserving
parasites, and the worthy, practical men whose virtues are not recognized by
society (36)
o
Explores racial questions – many encounters with
Indians and Negroes. Example of episodes relating to the Philippine Islands,
where a Negro makes a spirited attack on racial discrimination
Independence
Literature
-
Struggle for independence lasted for almost
fifteen years, from 1810 to 1825 (37)
-
Independence movement began in 1810 in Mexico,
Venezuela, and Buenos Aires. They started unsuccessful rebellions, led by
Miguel Hidalgo in Mexico, Francisco de Miranda
and Simón Bolívar in Venezuela, José
Artigas in Uruguay, and José de San Martín in Argentina (37-38)
-
Mexico was liberated from Spanish rule in 1821
by Agustín Iturbide (38)
-
Simón Bolívar – Carta de Jamaica
of 1816 (38-39)
o
Wrote it during his exile from Venezuela
o
Made remarkably accurate predictions about the
future
o
The letter showed that he was “fully aware of
the danger that the former Spanish empire might break into numerous small
republics and that many of these would fall a prey to tyranny” (38)
o
Predicted difficulty
of new smaller nations in establishing any sense of identity, since they were neither
properly European nor wholly indigenous (39)
o
Bolívar lived to see his worst fears realized
and was himself forced to become an absolute ruler in order to keep control of
Colombia (39)
-
Political update,
directly post-independence (39)
o
Mexico – Iturbide (the
liberator) had himself crowned emperor
o
Paraguay – Dr
Francia (also an Independence leader) became dictator and maintained the
country in isolation
o
Uruguay – fell under
power of Portuguese
o
Cuba – remained under
Spanish domination
o
Colombia, Venezuela,
Ecuador, and Central American republics – gradually abandoned the federal
system
-
Despite independence,
economic structure didn’t change – still dominated by the hacienda and estancia
[cattle ranch]; power of the landowner (39-40)
-
Lots of tyrants took power in newly independent
Latin America (40)
The Backward Glance
-
Directly post-independence was a period of
political crisis in which Latin America didn’t get a Utopia, but instead got a
real world of tyranny and vast unsolved social problems (41)
-
First literature of emancipated America was
poetry – a poetry that clung to safe and respectable antecedents seeking to give
Latin America the dignity of classical tradition (41)
-
José Joaquín Olmedo
(41-42)
o
“the poet of Independence” – he was born in
Ecuador and played an active part in the Independence movement (41)
o
Major passion for classical and neo-classical
literature
o
Most famous
poem: La Victoria
de Junín. Canto a Bolívar – it is a miniature epic poem
which forecasts Bolívar’s victory and describes the battle for Independence. It’s
not necessarily great poetry…
-
Andrés Bello (42-43)
o
(1781-1865)
o
One of the most learned and intelligent men of
the Independence period (42)
o
Born in Caracas, Venezuela, but lived many years
in London and spent last part of life in Chile (42)
o
Was an academic and a tutor to Bolívar (42)
o
Founded two magazines (43)
o
“Wished to bring the dignity of classical style
to American themes” (43)
o
Poem:
Silva a la
agricultura en la zona tórrida (1826)
§ One of his best poems
§
“Celebrates the beauty of American nature,
praising the country life and describing the horrors of discord and war”
§
Poem ends with “an appear to the young nations
to turn their swords into ploughshares”
o
Bello initiated a long tradition of the Virgilian
poem (43)
-
José María de
Heredia (44-45)
o
(1803-1839)
o
A Cuban poet who was exiled for conspiring
against the Spaniards (44)
o
He actually never saw the Independence of his
country, since Cuba remained under Spanish rule longer (44)
o
His work shows the beginnings of romantic influence (44)
o
Some of his best known poems are meditations on
the American scenes (44)
o
En el Teocalli de Cholula –
§
“describes poet sitting at sunset in the ruins
of an Aztec pyramid, where he contemplates the beauties of the Mexican
countryside and broods on the past when the Aztecs held sway” (44)
§
Moral: “Death is the true equalizer”
o
Heredia does not romanticize the past, but
rather recognizes it as a time of slavery
-
These poets had the aim of creating a standard
for new Latin-American literature based on the classics; their aim was noble
but their poetry pretty much sucked (45)
