Glossary of Terms
“Arroyo"
A stream.
“Barranca”
A gully or ravine.“Campesino”
A peasant.“Casuarina”
A tree whose leaves make a musical sound in the wind.“Caudillo”
A charismatic military and political leader who acts as a strongman or warlord.“Chachalaca”
A chicken-like bird found in Central America. It has greenish feathers and can fly.“Comadre”
The godmother of one's child or mother of one's godchild. Literally, “co-mother.”“Floripondio”
A Peruvian tree that grows to be three meters high.“Hibiscus”
A conspicuous tropical or subtropical flower with five petals in a trumpet shape. It comes in tones of white to pink, red, purple or yellow.“Huizache”
A spiny tree found in arid parts of Mexico.“Jarillas”
Flowering bushes that can grow to be three meters high.“Licenciado”
A lawyer or government representative.“Machismo”
The prominent exhibition of qualities typically considered “masculine,” often resulting in an emphasis on virility or even male chauvinism.“Maguey”
A fibrous plant that can be used to make thread and a cactus sap beverage.“Mescal”
A distilled liquor made from Agave plants.“Naturalism”
A philosophical and literary movement which gained impulse during the 19th century. It emphasized the importance of realist representation and science, as opposed to the representation of idealized forms.“Novena”
A prayer group for a deceased person; A book containing prayers dedicated to a deceased person.“Picaresque”
A humorous, satirical, realist narrative subgenre that usually deals with the adventures of a lower-class hero (or anti-hero) who survives though clever manipulation of his surroundings and wit. This genre first became popular in hispanic literature during the Spanish Golden Age in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.”“Scapulary”
Garment consisting of a long wide piece of woolen cloth worn over the shoulders with an opening for the head; part of a monastic habit“Zapotlán”
A city in the state of JaliscoThe Burning Plain and Other Stories Essays and Related Content
- The Burning Plain and Other Stories: Major Themes
- The Burning Plain and Other Stories: Questions
- The Burning Plain and Other Stories: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
- Juan Rulfo: Biography
- The Burning Plain and Other Stories Summary
- About The Burning Plain and Other Stories
- Character List
- Glossary of Terms
- Major Themes
- Summary and Analysis of "They gave us the land" ("Nos han dado la tierra")
- Summary and Analysis of "Macario"
- Summary and Analysis of “The Hill of the Comadres” ("La Cuesta de las Comadres")
- Summary and Analysis of “We’re very poor” ("Es que somos muy pobres")
- Summary and Analysis of "The man" ("El hombre")
- Summary and Analysis of “At daybreak” ("En la madrugada")
- Summary and Analysis of “Talpa”
- Summary and Analysis of “The burning plain” ("El Llano en llamas")
- Summary and Analysis of “Tell them not to kill me!” ("¡Diles que no me maten!")
- Summary and Analysis of “Luvina”
- Summary and Analysis of “The night they left him alone” ("La noche que lo dejaron solo")
- Summary and Analysis of “Remember” ("Acuérdate")
- Summary and Analysis of “No dogs bark” ("No oyes ladrar los perros")
- Summary and Analysis of “Paso del Norte”
- Summary and Analysis of “Anacleto Morones”
- Where is the Power in Rulfian Narrative?
- Related Links on The Burning Plain and Other Stories
- Suggested Essay Questions
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
- Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
- Author of ClassicNote and Sources
