Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Arts and Humanities for Baccalaureate

Narrative Perspectives

• Third Person: An omniscient observer, or through another narrator's perspective.
• First Person: A character, supporting character, or observer within the story.
• Second Person: The narrator addresses the reader directly, often making the reader the character.

Literary Elements: Time & Space

Time in Narrative

• Narrative Time: The duration of the story, which can span a lifetime, a year, or a shorter period.
• Time Period: The historical or fictional era in which the story is set.

Space in Narrative

• Objective Space: A real or imagined setting introduced by the narrator using descriptive techniques at the story's outset.
• Subjective Space: The setting as perceived and presented by the characters themselves.
• Narrated Events: The sequence

...

Lazarillo de Tormes: An Antihero's Journey

Lazarillo de Tormes presents autobiographical elements and facts narrated with verisimilitude. It portrays the life of an antihero, marked by alternating grace and disgrace, who never fully escapes his miserable existence. He uses tricks to survive and grows into an adult lacking honor.

Publication History and Authorship

The text first appeared in 1554 in four different editions simultaneously. It achieved remarkable success but was soon banned by the Inquisition in 1559. In 1573, its printing was allowed again, albeit in an expurgated version. The complete text was not published again in Spain until 1834.

The exact date of composition is unknown, although historical references within the work suggest...

The Literary Avant-Garde: Movements and Impact

The term Vanguardias Literarias (Literary Vanguards) was coined during World War I to describe a range of artistic concerns. The Avant-Garde consisted of a huge number of movements, all sharing the desire to create a radically new art, breaking completely with Realism.

European Avant-Garde Movements

• Futurism

  Started in Italy (1909) by F.T. Marinetti. Characterized by:

  • A dynamic, fast style, often employing verbal breaks and syntactic disruption.
  • Hatred of the intellect, favoring intuition.
  • A complete break with the past.

  Influence: Heavily influenced the Spanish Generation of '27 (e.g., Pedro Salinas, Rafael Alberti).

• Cubism (Fine Arts Influence)

  Appeared around 1907 with painters Pablo Picasso and Georges

...

Essential Film and Cinema Vocabulary

• Come out: Estrenarse
• Compose: Componer
• Cut off: Interrumpir
• Dragged: Se alargó demasiado
• Relate to: Identificarse con
• Starred in: Protagonizó
• Turn up: Subir (volumen)
• Appeals to: Atrae a
• Audience: Público
• Broadcast: Emitir
• Catchy: Pegadizo
• Letdown: Decepción
• Live performance: Actuación en vivo
• Long-running: De larga duración
• Outstanding: Excepcional
• Overrated: Sobrevalorado
• Recording: Grabación
• Remake: Nueva versión
• Stunning: Impresionante
• Venue: Lugar
• Worth seeing: Que vale la pena ver

Going to the Cinema: Pros and Cons

Many people enjoy going to the cinema, while others prefer watching films at home. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this experience.

The Advantages

On the one hand, going to the cinema can...

Classical Architecture: Greece and Rome

• Column: A vertical pillar that supports buildings.
• Doric Order: A simple style without a base.
• Ionic Order: A more decorated style featuring spirals on top.
• Pediment: The triangular upper part of a building, often featuring sculptures.

Roman Innovations: Romans utilized arches, vaults, and concrete to build aqueducts, roads, and coliseums. Their architecture reflected societal values, emphasizing entertainment and power.

Chinese Art

Chinese art is deeply rooted in meditation and the pursuit of harmony with nature, specifically through the depiction of mountains, rivers, and trees.

Philosophical Influences

• Taoism: Living in accordance with nature’s flow.
• Confucianism: Emphasizing tradition and morality.
• Buddhism:

...

Essential English Vocabulary and Idioms

Core Vocabulary and Definitions

• Allocate: Asignado
• Ill-suited: Inapropiado
• Deviant: Desviado / Anormal
• Unleashed a surge of: Destaca el surgimiento
• Casualty: Víctima
• Supressed: Reprime
• Commonly held belief
• Experiential purchase
• Scores of
• Steer: Guiar
• Waning: Decreasing
• Make allowance for: Take into account
• Make waves: Cause problems
• Dwell on: Machacarte a pensamientos
• Run up against: Encounter
• Draw on: Make use of
• Painstaking: Trabajo duro meticuloso
• Scarcity: Escasez
• Alleging: Afirmando
• Acute shortage: Great scarcity
• Sole intent
• Highest bidder
• Smuggled: Return country of origin
• Track down: Recordar
• Comply with: Obey
• Retrieved: Got back
• Scattered: Officially removed
• Flee: Run away
• Amidst: In the middle
• Gleaming: Brillante
• Profusely:

...

Deterritorialization and Identity Formation

Territory does not provide a specific identity; everything depends on the landscapes, which are affected by mobility and migration. Everyone builds their own identity.

Appadurai's Five Global Cultural Flows (Scapes)

These flows are typically divided into five interconnected dimensions:

• Ethnoscapes: Refers to origins according to family—how identity is formed based on family ties, not necessarily birthplace.
• Technoscapes: How technologies are established and influence different patterns of consumer behavior.
• Financescapes: The movement of money across borders and how consumers relate to these global financial movements.
• Mediascapes: How information and images are transmitted across borders.
• Ideoscapes: Contains

...

Essential English Idioms and Phrases

• A tiempo: If you are on time, you are not late.
• Al instante: I completed the project in no time at all.
• Hacer pasar mal a alguien: She left the company because her boss was giving her a really hard time.
• No hay tiempo que perder: He could be here any second, so there is no time to lose.
• Cuestión de tiempo: Your paintings are incredible. It is only a matter of time before you become famous.
• No tiene límites: He is already a special talent. If he continues, then the sky is the limit now.
• Raramente: My dad is working in Scotland and he visits home once in a blue moon, every couple of years.
• Dejar de soñar: I know you want to become a famous footballer, but don't chase rainbows; you are not good enough.
• Salario bajo:

...

Key Literary Concepts and Definitions

Literary Forms and Genres

Literature

The art or way to express oneself through written words and to keep a record.

Lyrics/Poetry

Written expression of thoughts, feelings, and desires, conveyed through suggestive and indirect language.

Epic

A narrative poem written in heroic hexameter. It has four constituent parts: plot, character, thought, and diction.

Drama

Poetic compositions designed to be acted in front of audiences in a theatron.

Tragedy

Defined as "the imitation of an action that is serious and also as having magnitude, complete in itself." It is a form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear.

Narrative Structure Elements

Plot

The structure or organization of events that make up a fictional story....

The Evolution of Human Communication

Cave paintings, hieroglyphics, and pictograms have been used to communicate thought pictures throughout history. Emoticons were originally invented by a mobile phone company to attract teenagers. We are crazy about emoticons because when we speak face-to-face, we use much more than words; for example, our tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language. However, when we communicate by messaging, all these parts are lost, and as a consequence, people can misunderstand us. Through emoticons, however, we can get our message across effectively.

Personal Growth and Living Abroad

In today's global world, communication is more important than ever. It is a huge advantage to speak different languages and understand...