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

Realism: A Literary Movement

Realism is a literary movement that triumphed in Europe by 1850 and aims to reflect contemporary reality.

Historical, Social, and Cultural Context in Spain

Key developments influencing Spanish Realism included:

• Consolidation of the bourgeoisie.
• Industrial development and the organization of the urban proletariat, which began claiming its rights.
• The Revolution of 1868, which dethroned Queen Elizabeth II and initiated a progressive stage.
• The Restoration of the monarchy under Alfonso XII in 1875.
• A cultural and ideological struggle between traditionalists (opposed to modern ideas) and progressives.
• The relatively late arrival of Realism in Spain due to slower economic and industrial development and the delayed emergence of

Narcís Oller: Catalan Realist Novelist and His Works

Major Works of Narcís Oller

Narcís Oller's literary output, while not extensive, includes six significant novels:

• The Butterfly (La Papallona, 1882): A novel where romantic elements predominate, earning it prestigious national and foreign acclaim. It is set within a master carpenter's milieu.
• L'Escanyapobres: Study of a Passion (1884): This work presents the moral degradation of a miserly man in a rural society undergoing transformation. Its characters personify the fierce resistance to the social and economic changes of the era.
• Villains (Vilaniu, 1885): A romantic novel describing the devastating consequences of libel for a family living in a provincial town.
• The Gold Rush (La Febre d'Or,

The Decadent Novel in Late 19th-Century European Literature

The Decadent Novel constitutes, in the context of late 19th-century European literature, a recent referral to Romantic literature. It introduced Modernism in Catalonia before 1900. Under the influence of decadence, the novel shifted to the suggestion of the narrative: it now reflected an inner reality, hidden and almost unknown, from the analysis of internal conflicts of characters who want to self-actualize. The cult of beauty and the creation of artificial paradises, where peace and finding led the authors to recreate distasteful, sexy, and forbidden situations, frustrated the desire to be isolated. In this novel of character, the subjective aspect of art is exalted as essential to... Continue reading "Decadent Novel: Influence on Catalan Modernism" »

Journalistic Articles

These are articles disseminated through mass media to transmit information of social interest.

Pragmatic Elements of Journalism

When considering the dissemination of information, we may identify the following key elements:

1. The Company: The media owner through which news is disseminated.
2. The Source: The origin of the information. This often includes news agencies, which supply news to media outlets and have correspondents worldwide, or press offices, which are groups of journalists providing information.
3. The Journalist: The individual who writes the information. Sometimes, one journalist writes while another manages the entire news production process.

Information broadcast is typically one-way, with no immediate response expected... Continue reading "Fundamentals of Journalistic Communication" »

Vanguard and Experimental Theatre

This movement includes authors like Fernando Arrabal and Francisco Nieva, and independent theatre groups. They reject realist techniques, incorporating scenic innovations from 20th-century theatre innovators.

Relevant Characteristics:

• Rejection of Realism: New Theatre presents symbolic or allegorical themes.
• Topics: Social and political conditions in Spain, denouncing social injustice and protesting for freedom.
• Characters: Lack psychological depth, are dehumanized or caricatured, becoming symbols.
• Dramatic Action: Fragmented into short, non-linear sequences.
• Stage Space: Innovative design, integrating audience seating into the stage area.
• Theatre as Play: The theatrical event is considered a game.

The Theatre of Vallejo

Textual Markers and Forms of Expression

Textual Markers

These are words that indicate the logical relationships between various ideas within a text. They function as varied linguistic elements.

Textual Forms of Expression: Oral vs. Written

Oral Expression

Oral expression is performed by speech sounds. It is considered the most natural form of expression, possesses a universal character, and has many distinct features.

Written Expression

Written expression is a surrogate form of oral communication. It is not universal, but it allows messages to endure in the text.

Characteristics of Oral Expression

• Nonverbal expressive resources.
• Wide range of articulation (or vocalization).
• Subjective order (often including ellipses).
• Interruptions and repetitions.
• Simple

The Baroque Culture

Characterized by four features:

• Culture is directed
• Massive
• Urban
• Conservative

Culture Addressed

The culture of the Baroque is an operational tool designed to act on a Baroque dirigisme. It inevitably leads to authoritarianism (monarchical absolutism). Art and literature are under the influence, or even under the rule, of the rulers.

Culture of the Masses

In the seventeenth century, there is a concentration of population in certain areas. The population demands a greater quantity of cultural products to be consumed at leisure. This produced a common culture, aimed at the masses, according to the level corresponding to the middle classes (Kitsch).

Urban Culture

There was peasant unrest in the seventeenth century. The urban populations... Continue reading "Baroque Culture and Society: Theater as Propaganda" »

Esperpento: Characteristics and Reflection in Valle-Inclán's Novels

Esperpento, a distinctive literary style, was created by Ramón María Valle-Inclán (1866-1936) in his seminal work Luces de Bohemia (Bohemian Lights). This play first appeared in 1920 in the journal España and was published in book form four years later. Esperpento is characterized by the grotesque distortion of reality for expressive purposes. As stated by Valle-Inclán in Luces de Bohemia, "the tragic sense of Spanish life can only be provided with a systematically distorted view."

The inspiration for Esperpento seems to have emerged from a famous bar Valle-Inclán frequently visited near Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Its facade was decorated with various concave and convex... Continue reading "Esperpento: Valle-Inclán's Grotesque Vision in Spanish Literature" »

"The Load" (Barcelona, 1902) by Ramon Casas

Classification:

Title: The Load or Barcelona, 1902

Author: Ramon Casas (1866-1932)

Year: Dated 1903 (Exhibited at the Salon du Champ de Mars in 1903). Some critics believe it was painted in 1899 and was turned down at the Universal Exhibition of Paris of 1900.

Style: Social Realism / Modernism

Museum: Museum of Garrotxa, Olot

Medium: Oil on Canvas

Dimensions: 2.98 x 4.70 meters

Subject Matter: Brutal Repression

The painting depicts the brutal repression by the Civil Guard of a workers' demonstration demanding better working conditions. It is a modern take on history painting, utilizing a large format (2.98 x 4.70 meters).

Technical and Artistic Elements

The technique is oil on canvas, with color taking precedence... Continue reading "Ramon Casas' "The Load": Social Realism in Barcelona, 1902" »

The Age of Enlightenment: Reason, Politics, and Society

The eighteenth century has been called the Age of Enlightenment. This metaphor expresses the clarity that reason brought to the era. The movement relied on reason to understand reality and its governance, rejecting irrational explanations of the Universe.

Philosophical Foundations and Key Thinkers

The Enlightenment had its epicenters in British philosophical thought, developed by Locke, Hume, and Newton, but it was structured and primarily disseminated through L'Encyclopédie by Diderot. This knowledge was used to spread the ideals of the era, defending freedom and placing reason at the center of human life. Key figures included Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau.

This intellectual environment... Continue reading "The 18th Century: Enlightenment Philosophy and Neoclassical Art" »