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

Calderón de la Barca: Master of Spanish Baroque Drama

Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681) was a pivotal playwright and poet of the Spanish Golden Age. His extensive body of work profoundly influenced Spanish theater, evolving Lope de Vega's dramatic formula with deeper philosophical and psychological dimensions.

Key Works and Genres

• Entanglement Dramas (Comedias de Capa y Espada)

  These plays often feature intricate plots, mistaken identities, and honor conflicts, typically set in urban environments.

  • The House with Two Doors is Hard to Guard (La casa de las dos puertas es difícil de guardar)
  • The Phantom Lady (La dama duende)

• Tragic Dramas

  Calderón's tragedies explore profound conflicts, often between individual freedom and destiny, or the complexities

Sculpture

In sculptural representations, there was a clear dominance of religious imagery. The Castilian school was distinguished, represented by the works of Gregorio Fernández, and the Andalusian school, with Martínez Montañés, Alonso Cano, and Pedro de Mena.

Sculpture Characteristics

Work and Author: La Piedad (1616), by Gregorio Fernández (1576-1636).
It was done in polychrome wood, as this allowed for greater realism, emphasizing the expressive ability and drama of the scene.
The figures were part of altarpieces or processions; this work was destined for the church of the Augustinians in Valladolid.
Theme: Religious. The Virgin holds the body of Christ in her arms.
Expressiveness: It tends to emphasize the expressive drama, as seen... Continue reading "Spanish Baroque Art: Sculpture & Painting" »

Realism Literary Movement

Realism was a literary movement that appeared in France in the second half of the nineteenth century, manifested in the narrative genre. Realists rejected the idealism of Romanticism and defended an art inspired by nature to represent in their work, adopting an attitude of thorough observation of the social environment.

Realism Characteristics

• Aims to reflect contemporary everyday life.
• Detailed description of location and time of action.
• Characters typically belong to the middle and lower classes; authors delve into psychological aspects explaining behavior.
• Narrative Techniques: third-person omniscient narrator, free indirect style, and interior monologue.

Naturalism Literary Movement

Naturalism was a literary movement that... Continue reading "Realism and Naturalism Literary Movements" »

Marketing and Research Techniques

1. Brainstorming

Characterized by bringing together a group of people to discuss a topic. It aims to generate ideas among all participants and select the best ones from the brainstorming session.

2. Delphi Method

The Delphi method presents the following characteristics:

• Anonymity: Participants are unknown to each other, and even personal data remains confidential. Anonymity allows individuals to express their opinions freely without fear of judgment.
• Moderator: A moderator guides the discussion and ensures the group stays focused on the topic.
• Free Response Interviews: Respondents answer interview questions openly. While there's a possibility of insincere answers, it's often balanced by the diverse perspectives of

Phidias and Classical Greek Sculpture

Phidias represents the peak of Greek classicism. His figures are ideal prototypes, full of serenity, balance, and beauty. His works are characterized by the serene expression on the faces and the flexibility and transparency of the garments. He is the artist who best represented the gods. Phidias cultivated both free-standing sculpture and relief, reaching a very high degree of perfection.

Decoration of the Parthenon

Phidias was entrusted with the sculptural decoration of the Parthenon, primarily situated in the pediments, friezes, and metopes. He devised and supervised the work. Some characteristics of Phidias' style are:

• The clothing, using the technique of "wet drapery," allows the anatomy to be appreciated,

Theatrical Innovations of Generation Nós

The Generation Nós (Our Generation) did not primarily use theater as a political weapon or didactic tool. Instead, they provided an extraordinary impulse from a literary perspective, integrating Galician theater into European currents. With them came the first symbolist and surrealist elements, surpassing the previous realism. From then on, their works featured not only Galician peasants and landowners, but also knights and princesses, toads, kegs, cliffs, the saints of the Portico of Glory, ghosts, and more.

1. Vicente Risco: Symbolist Drama

Vicente Risco wrote a single play, The Jester of the King, a symbolist drama that explores physical and moral deformity.

2. Ramón Otero Pedrayo: Extensive Dramatic

Radio: Information, Education, and Entertainment

Radio's primary function is to inform, educate, and entertain.

Language of Radio

Spoken Word

Spoken Word is characterized by oral language traits: spontaneity, immediacy, fleetingness, informality, and repetition. Since it's primarily auditory, the speaker must use intonation, vocalization, pauses, inflection, and rhythm to maintain listener interest (Parasintetic Elements).

Music

Music serves various purposes, including identifying programs or stations, marking program segments, introducing advertisements, filling gaps, setting the mood, and providing content for music-focused programs.

Sound Effects

Sound effects help listeners interpret messages correctly and imagine events: applause, laughter, screams,... Continue reading "Radio and Television: Genres, Language, and Elements" »

The Novel

Definition

The novel is a prominent contemporary narrative subgenre, captivating both critics and audiences. It presents narrative patterns found in other subgenres, offering a compelling storytelling experience.

It is a story of considerable length, centered around a narrator who presents actions, characters, times, and places, emphasizing one of these categories as dominant.

Structural Elements

1. Time

As a story, the novel's events are arranged in a specific sequence.

• Time of speech: The final point in time of the narrated events.
• Story time: The timeframe in which the story unfolds.

2. Space

Space serves to locate characters and their actions, creating symbolic effects. It functions independently and can symbolize character or mood.

3. Plot

The... Continue reading "Understanding the Novel: Structure, Elements, and Classification" »

Ramón María del Valle-Inclán's Theater Periods

The dramatic works of Valle-Inclán are typically categorized into distinct cycles:

• Modernist Cycle

  This cycle includes works such as The Marquis of Bradomín (1906) and The Wilderness of Souls (1908).

• Mythic Cycle

  Starting with his native Galicia, Valle-Inclán creates a mythical and timeless world. Irrationality, violence, lust, greed, and death rule the destinies of the protagonists. Works belonging to this period include the trilogy Barbaric Words and Divine Comedies.

• Farce Cycle

  This is a group of comedies gathered in a volume called Plank's Puppet Education of Princes (1909, 1912, 1920). These works present a continuing contrast between the sentimental and the grotesque, and their puppet-show

The Generation of '27 in Spanish Theater

The Generation of '27 was a group of influential poets and writers who emerged in Spanish literary circles in the 1920s. While primarily celebrated for their poetry, many members also made significant contributions to the world of theater. This section highlights some key figures and their theatrical endeavors:

Key Figures and Their Theatrical Contributions

• Rafael Alberti: His theatrical concerns often reflected the themes of his poetry, exploring concepts found in works like 'The Uninhabited Man' and 'Monstrosity'.
• Max Aub: Began his career with avant-garde works, later writing engaged theater that powerfully reflected reality, particularly during his exile.
• Alejandro Casona: Renowned for his poetic realism