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

Poetic Dimension in The House of Bernarda Alba

Lorca defines theater as poetry that rises from the book and becomes human. This introduces the multi-layered nature of The House of Bernarda Alba. The work transcends realism; while the action is plausible, characters, space, and situations are viewed poetically. Metaphors enrich dialogues, and the interplay between realism and symbolism poeticizes reality. Lorca's poetic language is integral to the characters' interactions.

Colloquial expressions with poetic undertones and realistic details, prominent in the first act, gradually diminish. By Act Three, poetic elements like the starry night or the old woman with a lamb emerge. This contrasts with the realism of the first act, such as the maid eating... Continue reading "Symbolism and Social Conflict in The House of Bernarda Alba" »

Neoclassicism vs. Romanticism: A Comparison

Neoclassicism

• Defends the power of reason.
• Man participates in a collective project of progress.
• Generates vital optimism.
• Art seeks balance.
• Art and literature have a didactic function, promoting values.

Romanticism

• Defends feeling and subjectivity.
• Man reaffirms individuality and freedom.
• Contrast between ideal and reality creates pessimism and angst.
• Art seeks new forms of expression for human passions.
• Art has a subversive intent.

The Romantic Lyric

Key Themes

• Love: Idealized yet often tragic.
• Existence: Life is pure agony; the poet lives in a world that doesn't suit them, leading to sadness, loneliness, and suicide.
• Freedom: A fight against all rules and oppression, including the defense of patriotism as a territory

Renaissance Art

Context and Origins

The Renaissance is characterized as a rebirth of classical antiquity, originating in Italy during the fifteenth century. Unlike other parts of Europe, Italy did not fully embrace medieval art; classicism was always present. The Renaissance is an Italian art movement that stretched across Europe.

While primarily Italian, the movement influenced other regions. For example, in Flanders during the fifteenth century, a distinct school arose, exemplified by artists like Van Eyck.

Key Characteristics

Linked to cultural Humanism, the Renaissance brought a new idea: anthropocentrism versus theocentrism. It recovered classical culture, shifting focus from purely church-centric thought.

Economic and Political Factors

Economically,... Continue reading "Renaissance, Romanesque, and Gothic Art Styles" »

Narrative Texts: Events in Time and Space

These texts recount events within a specific time and space.

Elements of Narrative

• Narrator: First-person (hero or witness) or third-person (omniscient narrator).
• Narration: The structure can be linear (presentation, middle, end), circular, in media res (starts without introduction), or parallel (presents multiple stories simultaneously).
• Characters: Marked by physical, psychological, and social features.
• Space and Time: Can be internal or external, real or fictional. Two types of time are distinguished:
  • Historical or External: Refers to the time or era in which the action unfolds.
  • Narrative or Internal: Refers to the duration of the story.

Language in Narrative

• Lexical Features: Prevalence of verbs, including

Narrative Genre

The narrative genre is a literary genre that represents real or fictional characters in a specific place and time.

Structure of a Narrative

• Exposition: Beginning of the story, presentation of the characters, and the time-space situation.
• Rising Action/Knot: The conflict unfolds.
• Climax: The most intense moment of the conflict.
• Falling Action/Dénouement: Resolution of the conflict.
• Resolution: End of the story.

Narrative Perspective

• First-person narrator: The narrator is one of the characters in the story, often the protagonist, and uses the first person ("I," "we").
• Third-person narrator:
  • Omniscient: The narrator knows everything about all the characters and events.
  • Limited: The narrator is a witness, telling what happens without revealing

Benito Pérez Galdós

Galdós' novelistic production is a reflection of the society of his time. Galdós' novels are notable for their characterizations and the integration of everyday life into the historical events of the time. The author combines various narrative techniques: the omniscient narrator, direct dialogue, and monologue. The language is consistent with the character.

National Episodes

They are demonstrations of 19th-century historical events treated from the standpoint of anonymous individuals. Examples include Trafalgar and The Battle of Arapiles.

Novels of the First Period

The first novels of Galdós, such as Doña Perfecta and Gloria, are called thesis novels because they are subject to the author's ideology: they contrast characters... Continue reading "Benito Pérez Galdós & Leopoldo Alas Clarín: Spanish Literary Masters" »

Gothic Architecture: General Characteristics

• Geographic Area and Timeline

  • Western Christian Europe
  • Late Middle Ages (second half of 12th century to early 16th century)
  • Originates in France, with multiple influences:
    1. Normandy
    2. Cistercian Art
    3. Saint-Denis, near Paris (1144), featuring simple and double church aisles

• Stages of Development

  (Uneven development across different countries)

  1. Early Gothic
  2. High or Classic Gothic
  3. Late Gothic (also known as Blooming or Flamboyant style, characterized by a more complex, decorative, ornate, and Baroque-influenced style with curved shapes resembling flames, hence its name)

• Changes in Construction

  • Building Types

    • Religious structures (monasteries, churches, cathedrals)
    • Civil works (municipal buildings, market halls, châteaux)

Audiovisual Synchrony, Asynchrony, and Antisynchrony

The Simultaneous and Sequential Expression: Diachrony-Synchrony

This section explores the interplay of synchronicity and diachrony, or the dual-axis operation of simultaneous and successive relations, through the process of assembly. Everything revolves around the combination of space and time.

Simultaneous Plurispatial Scope in Television

Television has the ability to reflect multiple spaces simultaneously. In the subsequent presentation of narrative spaces, live TV links remote sites located in different places, creating a new space that does not exist in reality.

Scope refers to the place where partners and presented realities converge. When a connection is made with correspondents in different... Continue reading "Audiovisual Synchrony and Asynchrony in Television" »

Gothic Sculpture (13th and 15th Centuries)

Features of Gothic Sculpture

• Figures exhibit a natural, realistic quality, with lifelike poses and expressions. They convey emotions, humanizing the art, while still retaining a degree of idealization.
• High relief is the dominant technique.
• Religious themes, particularly from the New Testament, are emphasized. Unlike the Romanesque period, the focus shifts away from the Book of Revelation.
• Sculptures now express a range of emotions, including pain and pleasure. The Virgin Mary is often depicted as an intermediary. Representations of Christ on the cross are imbued with intense pain and expressiveness.
• In addition to freestanding sculptures, other prominent genres include altarpieces, tombs, and choir stalls.

Adjectives Explained

An adjective is a word that expresses a quality or characteristic of a noun it accompanies, agreeing in gender and number.

Types of Adjectives

• Variable Adjectives: Have distinct forms for masculine and feminine genders. Plural forms are typically created by adding 's' or 'es' to the singular form.
• Invariable Adjectives: Have a single form for both masculine and feminine. Adjectives ending in -ac, -ic, -oc often have one ending for both genders in the singular but may vary in the plural. (Note: This rule seems specific, possibly to Catalan grammar.)

Degrees of Adjectives

• Positive Degree: Expresses a quality simply, without comparison.
• Comparative Degree: Expresses the intensity of a quality in comparison to other elements. It can