Introduction

This is the introduction to a revised vocabulary list for reasonably advanced readers of Doña Bárbara (1929) by Rómulo Gallegos (1884 – 1969). The content, including Venezuelan usage of Spanish words and expressions from the llanuras of Venezuela, is derived from a variety of sources (e.g., the Diccionario de la Lengua Española de la Real Academia Española, the Vox Spanish Dictionary, the WordReference collection of dictionaries and discussion blogs, on-line vocabularies of llanerismos such as from the Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, and blogs and discussion groups seeking clarifications of word meanings).

The revised definitions are entirely in English and contain active hyperlinks as appropriate between related words. The original version of the vocabulary, which has a mixture of English and Spanish in the definitions, is also still available.

PDF print versions of both the new revised vocabulary and the old vocabulary are available.

SPOILER ALERT: The following references present interesting perspectives and summaries of the novel as a whole but may reveal important events and outcomes if you haven’t finished reading it:

• A 1954 introduction written by Rómulo Gallegos for the 25-year anniversary commemorative edition of Doña Bárbara (Fondo de Cultura Económica, México, 1954). It offers one of the rarest and most interesting statements by the novelist about his own work.
• A 1948 paper by John E. Englekirk, entitled Doña Bárbara, Legend of the Llano [PDF], is on-line and gives an interesting perspective on the origins of the story, locale, and characters in this classic of Hispanic literature.
• A 1994 essay by Mark I. Millington, entitled As If By Magic: The Power of Masculine Discourse in Doña Bárbara [PDF], is also on-line and discusses conflicting concepts and presuppositions about gender and their role in the structure of the allegory and in the development of the characters of the novel.
• A collection of character sketches and chapter synopses and commentaries for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the novel. These were adapted by TCR from the Colección Obras Maestras edition of Doña Bárbara (2007).

This vocabulary is for non-commercial educational or personal use. Please contact me with corrections or additions.