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

Valle-Inclán's Innovative Theater

Ramón del Valle-Inclán is considered the great playwright of the Generation of '98. His extensive theatrical work, though initially not always successful with the public, can be grouped into five distinct cycles:

• The Primitive Cycle: Includes his first poetic dramas, adaptations of conventional stories, and modernist verse plays that anticipate features of the grotesque and burlesque.
• The Mythic or Galician Cycle: Presents a mythical, primitive, violent, and sordid Galicia.
• The Cycle of Farce: Composed of three pieces for puppet stages. It breaks from the modernist approach and demystifies reality, moving closer to the vision of the grotesque.
• The Grotesque Cycle (Esperpento): Provides a grotesque vision of the

1. Introduction: Historical Coordinates, Chronology, and Characteristics of the Renaissance

1.1. The Italian Origins

This movement was born in Italy, closer to the sources that would inspire Renaissance artists. Italy was dotted with remnants of the Ancient Roman Empire, from which humanists drew inspiration. The classical spirit was preserved throughout the Middle Ages. Italy was also a place where a new economy and society developed, creating new interests and requiring a new artistic language.

1.2. Chronology of the Renaissance in Italy

1.2.1. The "Trecento"

During the fourteenth century, the Renaissance began its gestation, even within the Gothic style. In sculpture and painting, the Italian Primitives, the School of Florence, and the School... Continue reading "Italian Renaissance: Origins, Chronology, and Characteristics" »

Opinion Leadership

Opinion leadership (or word-of-mouth communication) is the process by which an opinion leader informally influences others, who may be opinion seekers or recipients.

Influence is:

• Interpersonal
• Informal
• Between individuals, none representing a commercial seller.

Parties Involved:

• Opinion Leader: Provides product information and advice.
• Opinion Receiver: Receives solicited or unsolicited information.
• Opinion Seeker: Actively seeks product information and advice.

Category Specific: Opinion leaders specialize in certain product categories.

Two-Way Street: Leaders in one situation may be receivers in another.

Measurement Techniques

• Self-Designated Method: Respondents assess their own opinion leadership.
• Sociometric Method: Individuals identify

Language Functions

• Expressive Function (f. expresiva): Aims to raise awareness of the sender's subjectivity: opinions, judgments, moods.
• Conative Function (f. contiva): Aims to ensure that the receiver does something the sender demands.
• Referential Function (f. referencial): Aims to expose or explain facts objectively.

Classes of Sentences

• Enunciatives: Report of something.
• Interrogative: Formula a question.
• Exclamatives: Express emotion or a feeling.
• Dubitatives: Manifest doubt.
• Mandatory: Express a commandment or a prohibition.
• Desideratives: Manifest a desire.

Literary Genres

• Arts: Works not intended to be read aloud.
• Narrative: Prose set in a fictional context. Presents a character who must face and solve a conflict. This character and conflict are

The Bacchanal of the Andrians

Titian, Renaissance style transitioning to Mannerism in the 16th century. Uses the technique of oil on canvas. The Prado Museum painting is mythological. It is an early work that shows the bare landscape. It is about naked women and movement.

On a background of deep blue and golden clouds, showing the joy and laxity that wine produces, affecting both the old man sleeping on the hill and the young man who is in the foreground, and inspiring the joy to drink and dance in the core group. The reclining woman at the forefront of the center of the canvas is said to be Violante, with whom the painter was in love then. At her side, a musical score reads: "He who drinks and drinks again knows not what it is not to drink."... Continue reading "Masterpieces by Titian" »

Federico García Lorca: Life, Work, and Social Context

1. Work and Social Context

Status of the Author in His Time

Federico García Lorca, a renowned Spanish poet and playwright, was born in Fuente Vaqueros in 1898. His childhood was spent in a rural setting, and he later studied at a college in Almería. He pursued higher education at the University of Granada, where he befriended Manuel de Falla. Falla exercised great influence on Lorca, communicating his love for folklore and popular culture. After 1919, Lorca moved to Madrid, where he met prominent figures. He devoted himself not only to poetry but also to music and drawing, and he became increasingly interested in theater. He traveled to New York, and upon his return, he became the director... Continue reading "Federico García Lorca: Life, Work, and The House of Bernarda Alba" »

Common Latin Literary Tropes

• Tempus Fugit: This motif conveys the idea that life passes quickly and is fleeting.
• Ubi Sunt: A rhetorical question regarding the fate of people from the past. It emphasizes the brevity of human life and the vanity of worldly things.
• Carpe Diem and Collige, Virgo, Rosas: These topics celebrate the joy and pleasures of the present day. They encourage living in the moment without worrying about the future, given the transience of time.
• Beatus Ille: This trope highlights the quiet, worthy character of life in the countryside, far from the bustling and frenetic city life, which is perceived as negative and harmful.
• Locus Amoenus: A description of an idyllic, pleasant natural setting. It typically features trees and their

Literary Shifts in Early 20th Century Spain

Since the late nineteenth century, a group of young writers reacted against the prevailing Realism. They believed art should not be limited to reproducing objects and real-world events. Instead, they emphasized reflecting the impact of these elements on the characters within their works.

Emergence of New Narrative Trends (1902)

In 1902, four significant narrative works appeared, signaling a shift:

• Love and Pedagogy by Miguel de Unamuno
• Will by Azorín
• Way of Perfection by Pío Baroja
• Autumn Sonata by Valle-Inclán

These works often feature characters grappling with boredom, melancholy, anguish, and the meaninglessness of life, which drive the narrative. Two distinct trends emerged in early 20th-century Spanish... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: From Realism's Reaction to Avant-Garde Influences" »

Spanish Golden Age Dramatic Genres

Auto Sacramental

A one-act allegorical drama whose purpose was to praise the Eucharist. Its most significant feature is the use of symbolic characters representing virtues and sins. It was performed on the feast of Corpus Christi and featured rich scenery and luxurious costumes. Lope de Vega and Tirso de Molina were notable authors, but its main representative is Calderón de la Barca.

Entremés

A brief, comedic piece intended to amuse and entertain the public. It features stock characters, such as the fool or the sexton, who have fixed traits. It was performed between the first and second acts of a longer play. Its origin lies in the works of Lope de Rueda, and its top representative is Cervantes.

Loa

An introduction... Continue reading "Spanish Golden Age Theatre: Dramatic Genres and the New Comedy" »

Radio

Radio is a social media platform based on words and sounds.

Features

• Messages are perceived instantly through the ear.
• Radio is fleeting and ephemeral.
• It uses sound resources like voice, music, sound effects, and silence to stimulate the listener's imagination.
• Its audience is diverse and vast.
• Radio aims to deliver news quickly and entertain through various programs.

Functions of Language

• Representative: Messages reflect reality and report events.
• Persuasive: Messages aim to influence listeners' opinions.
• Aesthetic: Programs present artistic content.

Radio Broadcasts

• News:
  • Flash/News Brief: Reports on recent events.
  • Scheduled Bulletin: Summarizes important news.
  • Discussion: A group analyzes the day's top news stories.
• Variety Shows: Long-form programs