Spanish Folklore

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 29. Chapters: El Cid, Castell, Costumbrismo, Cuco, Don Juan, Saint Amaro, Island of California, The Vain Little Mouse, Lovers of Teruel, Battle of Calatanazor, Duende, Mutiny of the Trout, Milagro, The Day It Snowed Tortillas, Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo, Diego Corrientes Mateos, Mojiganga, Campanilleros. Excerpt: Costumbrismo (sometimes anglicized as Costumbrism) refers to the literary or pictorial interpretation of local everyday life, mannerisms, and customs, primarily in the Hispanic scene, and particularly in the 19th century. Costumbrismo is related both to artistic realism and to Romanticism, sharing the Romantic interest in expression as against simple representation and the romantic and realist focus on precise representation of particular times and places, rather than of humanity in the abstract. It is often satiric and even moralizing, but unlike proper realism does not usually offer or even imply any particular analysis of the society it depicts. When not satiric, its approach to quaint folkloric detail often has a romanticizing aspect. Costumbrismo can be found in any of the visual or literary arts; by extension, the term can also be applied to certain approaches to collecting folkloric objects, as well. Originally found in short essays and later in novels, costumbrismo is often found in the zarzuelas of the 19th century, especially in the genero chico. Costumbrista museums deal with folklore and local art and costumbrista festivals celebrate local customs and artisans and their work. Although initially associated with Spain in the late 18th and 19th century, costumbrismo expanded to the Americas and set roots in the Spanish-speaking portions of the Americas, incorporating indigenous elements. Juan Lopez Morillas summed up the appeal of costumbrismo for writing about Latin American society as follows: the...