Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Arts and Humanities

The Essay

The essay is a literary genre characterized by digressions where the author expresses thoughts on a topic, or even without a specific issue. It has greatly influenced liberal thought and journalism.

Features:

• Free structure, form, and relatively brief extent
• Thematic variety
• Careful and elegant style
• Varied tone, reflecting the author's worldview

Types of Essays:

Literary Essay

Defined by the ideas it explores, covering disciplines like morality, science, history, and politics. It's a dynamic miscellany where the author expresses personal and subjective impressions and reflections about life. It is a critical product par excellence.

Scientific Essay

Blurs the boundaries between science and poetry. It's called a scientific-literary genre because... Continue reading "Understanding Essays: Characteristics, Types, and Journalistic Applications" »

Mendoza's Narrative Craft in The Savolta Case

Eduardo Mendoza's novel, The Truth About the Savolta Case, demonstrates a keen focus on technical literary treatment, equally valuing it alongside the compelling narrative. Mendoza champions the pleasure of storytelling, an element he feels is often forgotten in recent narrative trends.

Barcelona 1917-1919: A Tumultuous Backdrop

The novel collects the final memories of Javier Miranda, both a spectator and protagonist of events in Barcelona from 1917 to 1919. It delves into social tensions within a company headed by Lepprince, intertwined with a love plot. This narrative combines individual incidents with events characteristic of a collective historical novel.

Themes: Social, Political, and Existential

Understanding Dialogue

Dialogue is a text constructed in collaboration between several partners, sometimes acting as the issuer and other times as the receiver.

Characteristics of Everyday Dialogue

• Occurs in daily life.
• Relaxed pronunciation.
• Not prepared in advance.
• Uses common language.
• Often includes exclamatory sentences.

Setup of a Formal Dialogue

A formal dialogue (such as a discussion or interview) includes a moderator who directs and governs the conversation, and one or more participants who are experts in the field.

Literary Dialogues

Literary dialogues appear in literary works, including narratives, where they may be presented directly or indirectly.

Direct Speech

In direct speech, the narrator interrupts their narrative and uses a verb (e.g.,... Continue reading "Understanding Dialogue, Exposition, Argumentation & Linguistics" »

Novecentism: The Generation of 1914

In the early decades of the twentieth century, a new movement of liberal thinkers, known as the Novecentists (or the Generation of 1914), emerged. They championed a project of reform and transformation for Spain, aiming to modernize the country. Their influence spanned economic and social contexts, manifesting strongly in literary, journalistic, scientific, and artistic fields. This was an elite group characterized by notable public activity.

Salient Features of Novecentism

• Europeanization: They believed renewal required fighting scientific backwardness, opposing the traditionalism and patriotism of the fin de siècle intellectuals (Generation of '98). They understood that national regeneration was inseparable

Minimalism: From Revolutionary Russia to Today

The origins of minimalism can be traced back to the Russian artists of the revolutionary period, particularly through movements like Constructivism and Suprematism. A prime example is White on Black (1917) by Malevich. At first glance, minimalist works may appear simple, but ambiguities complicate their perceptual reception, making them reflexively complex. This contradicts Morris's assertion that "what you see is what you see."

Key Figures and Their Perspectives

• Greenberg viewed minimalism as innovative, mistaking it for bizarre, strange effects rather than recognizing the essential qualities of art, particularly its exploration of three-dimensionality.

• Wollheim saw minimalism as having a minimum

Pío Baroja: Life and Style

Pío Baroja, the impressionistic novelist, was born in San Sebastián in 1872 and died in Madrid in 1956.

Pessimism

He was pessimistic, seeing life as a blind, uncontrollable force dominated by instincts, where the cruelty of the strong is imposed upon the weak. This pessimistic conception leads to distrusting everything, avoiding speaking or acting so as not to create 'idols,' and becoming closed off, which prevents communication with others, leading to misanthropy.

Impressionist Style

His style is impressionistic: he does not construct his narratives with solid, closed arguments, but everything is outlined, using impressionist techniques. He describes spaces and environments quickly, with vague sensations. The psychology... Continue reading "Pío Baroja and the Generation of '98" »

Features of the Narrative Genre

Event and Plot

The events are the occurrences, past or present, in the story. These events form the plot.

• Closed Linear Structure: Has a beginning, middle, and end.
• Open Non-linear Structure: Episodes accumulate without following a strict timeline.

Characters

Characters develop the narrative action and intervene in the story.

• The protagonist is the principal character.
• The antagonist is the character who opposes the hero.
• Some works feature collective characters, involving many characters where none stand out above the others.

Based on characterization, characters can be:

• Archetypal: Representing universal patterns.
• Psychological Models: Described with multiple features and evolving throughout the work.

Time

Time is another... Continue reading "Narrative Genre: Elements, Structure, and Forms" »

The Role of Experience in Kantian Epistemology

The notion of experience plays a fundamental role in the Kantian theory of knowledge. Kant agrees with the empiricists that experience is the starting point of knowledge. However, for him, necessity is not derived from it; that is, no knowledge becomes effective solely through experience.

Furthermore, "experience" appears in Kant as what makes knowledge possible. In his view, it is not possible to know anything that lies outside "possible experience." Since knowledge is also the world of appearance, the notion of "experience" is closely linked to the notion of appearance. Thus, the critique of reason examines the conditions of the possibility of experience.

Therefore, the examination of the a priori... Continue reading "Kantian Epistemology: Experience and A Priori Knowledge" »

Stylistic Analysis

Fortuny's work, while rooted in realism, diverges from French realism. It lacks social critique and, despite depicting different social classes, doesn't challenge oppression. His style, often termed Catalan-French realism, caters to bourgeois tastes with vibrant colors and intricate details.

Fortuny's influences include Impressionism, particularly in his use of color and light. However, unlike French Impressionists, he retains traditional chiaroscuro, albeit without using contrasting colors for shadows.

His time in Morocco significantly impacted his art, inspiring masterpieces like The Battle of Tetuan. This influence is evident in his portrayal of light and detail.

Fortuny's style also reflects Pintoresquismo, echoing Goya's... Continue reading "Mariano Fortuny's 'The Vicar's Office': Analysis and Interpretation" »

Illness and Disability in Ethan Frome

Ethan and those individuals close to him, including Mattie, suffer from sickness or disability. Caring for the sick and the lame defines Ethan’s life. He spends years tending to his ailing mother, and then he cares for his hypochondriacal wife, Zeena. After his and Mattie’s attempted suicide, Ethan is forced to spend his days as a cripple, living with a sick wife and the handicapped Mattie. Outward physical signs reflect inner realities, and the predominance of illness indicates that, inwardly, they are all in states of destitution and decline.

The Impact of Snow and Cold

The imagery of Ethan Frome is built around cold, ice, snow, and hues of white. The characters constantly complain about the cold, and... Continue reading "Ethan Frome: Illness, Cold, and Symbolic Red" »