What I’ve Been reading Lately…/Lo Que He Leído Recientemente

“Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña,” Lope de Vega

   A precursor to the honor plays of Spain’s Golden Age of literature, “Peribáñez” deals with a husband who finds his wife’s honor has been put in danger and must find a way to save her honor, as without honor she is good as dead. His solution to the problem is to kill the man who threatened her honor with his propositions in the first place–the Comendador de Ocaña.

image

   Un precursor a los teatros de honor del Siglo de Oro de España, “Peribáñez” se trata de un marido que descubre que el honor de su mujer ha sido puesto en peligro y debe encontrar una manera en que pueda salvar su honor, porque sin honor ella es tan buena como la muerte. Su solución al problema es matar el hombre quien amenazó su honor con sus proposiciones en primer lugar–el Comendador de Ocaña.

~~~

“Pedro Páramo,” Juan Rulfo

   Hailed as the precursor to García Marquez’s magical realism, “Pedro Páramo” follows Juan Preciado as he sets out for his mother’s pueblo to meet his father–her dying wish. When he arrives at the town, he discovers that almost no one lives there anymore, including his father, who has been dead for some time, and the people who are living there are already dead. Juan dies from the shock of his realization, and the second half of the book follows his discussion from the grave with another of the town’s inhabitants as she tells him what happened to the town and to his father.

image

   Llamado como el precursor al realismo mágico de García Marquez, “Pedro Páramo” sigue Juan Preciado como parte para el pueblo de su madre para conocer a su padre–la última voluntad de su madre. Cuando llega al pueblo, descubre que casi nadie vive allí, incluso a su padre, quien ha estado muerto por un tiempo, y la gente que está viviendo allí ya están muertos. Juan muere del shock de su comprensión, y la segunda mitad del libro sigue su discusión con otro habitante del pueblo como lo dice ella lo que ha pasado al pueblo y a su padre.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *