Rosalía de Castro Criticism
Rosalía de Castro, an eminent figure in 19th-century Spanish literature, is renowned for her poignant and symbolic verse that deftly blends regional focus with universal appeal. Born in Santiago de Compostela, she became a pivotal voice for the cultural identity of Galicia, contributing significantly to the revival of the Galician language through her poetry. Her seminal works, including Cantares gallegos and Follas novas, are celebrated for their lyrical beauty and deep empathy for the Galician people, while her later collection, En las orillas del Sar, explores complex themes of mortality and existential despair, as examined in a psychoanalytic interpretation and through aspects of perspective.
Castro's influence extends beyond poetry; her prose works, including novels like La hija del mar and El caballero de las botas azules, incorporate romantic fantasy with incisive social critique and early feminist themes, as analyzed by Susan Kirkpatrick. Despite initial marginalization due to her focus on regional and gendered themes, critical reassessments in the mid-twentieth century, such as those by Shelley Stevens, have recognized her significant contributions to the broader canon of Spanish literature.
Her poetic style, marked by fluidity and musicality, not only foregrounds the Galician dialect, as seen in her pioneering work in Cantares gallegos, but also sets the stage for later developments in Spanish poetry, influencing figures such as Federico García Lorca. The modern reassessment of her work, noted by John Wilcox, highlights the transcendence of her regional roots to a universal realm, securing her a lasting legacy.
The themes in Castro's work, which include cultural longing, nature, religious fervor, and melancholy, are often linked to her personal experiences of intimacy and illegitimacy, as explored by Robert G. Havard. Despite her initial lack of recognition, her lyrical and fluid style has been re-evaluated as a precursor to symbolist poetry, influencing poets like Rubén Darío and Federico García Lorca. The critical reception of her work, documented by scholars such as Louis J. Rodrigues, underscores her enduring impact on both Spanish and world literature.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Castro, Rosalía de (Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism)
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Reality and the Poet
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Kulp considers style, technique, and theme in Castro's Follas novas, comparing this collection of Galician poetry with an earlier work, Cantares gallegos.
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Rosalía de Castro's En las orillas del Sar: A Psychoanalytic Interpretation
(summary)
In the following essay, Schwartz explores the destructive, libidinal, and neurotic themes and imagery of En las orillas del Sar.
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Aspects of Perspective in Rosalía de Castro's En las orillas del Sar
(summary)
In the following essay, Miller studies Castro's complex stylistic and thematic use of perspective in the poems of En las orillas del Sar.
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Rosalía de Castro: Two Mourning Dreams
(summary)
In the following essay, Palley analyzes Castro's somber, dream-like poems "A mi madre" and "En sueños te di un beso, vida mía."
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Society, Legend and the Poet
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Stevens surveys Castro's life and criticism of her work, and discusses Castro's association with the nineteenth-century Galician Revival in Spanish literature.
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Introduction to Poems by Rosalía de Castro
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Aldaz and Gantt discuss Castro's life, place in Spanish literature, and poetic themes.
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Fantasy, Seduction, and the Woman Reader: Rosalía de Castro's Novels
(summary)
In the following essay, Kirkpatrick investigates the relationship of Castro's novels El caballero de las botas azules and La hija del mar to the tradition of seduction fantasy.
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Rosalía de Castro
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Wilcox examines Castro as a marginalized woman poet whose collection Cantares gallegos—ostensibly a poetic celebration of her native Galicia—offers an ambivalent feminist vision.
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Reality and the Poet
(summary)
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Castro, Rosalía de (Poetry Criticism)
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Image and Persona in Rosalía de Castro's En las orillas del Sar.
(summary)
In the following essay, Havard examines themes of intimacy, illegitimacy, and melancholy in Castro's final collection of poetry.
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Follas novas (New Leaves)
(summary)
In the following essay, the critic provides an examination of Castro's second collection of Galician verse.
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En las orillas del Sar (On the Banks of the River Sar)
(summary)
In the following essay, Kulp-Hill discusses Castro's final collection of poetry, comparing its structure and style to Follas novas.
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Rosalía de Castro
(summary)
In the following essay, Wilcox discusses the context of political, social, and esthetic marginalization within which Castro's poetry was written.
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Rosalía de Castro's Galician Poems: ‘Nasín Cand'’ … and ‘Negra Sombra’
(summary)
In the following essay, Rodrigues discusses two of Castro's Galician poems, examining texts translated from Galician to English, Spanish, and Catalan.
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Image and Persona in Rosalía de Castro's En las orillas del Sar.
(summary)
- Further Reading