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

Realism and Naturalism in Literature

In the second half of the 19th century, Europe experienced significant political, social, and economic development. The bourgeoisie consolidated its power as a class. Philosophy focused on strictly observing reality, and literary writers sought to understand and reflect this reality. Thus, Realism emerged.

Realism

Features of Realism

• Focus: Primarily on the bourgeoisie.
• Objectivity: The novel mirrors the reality of the time.
• Style: Simple and clear prose. Characters' speech reflects their social class.
• Social Criticism: Often critiques the opportunistic and greedy bourgeoisie. Stories may feature a noble character who fails.
• Detailed Portrayal: Environments and characters' nature are accurately described.
  • Environment

Introduction

The avant-garde encompasses a series of artistic movements that emerged in the first decades of the 20th century, rebelling against art's traditional role of imitating reality. These movements, while diverse, shared common characteristics that profoundly impacted art and literature: anti-realism, artistic autonomy, irrationalism, a pursuit of originality, and aesthetic experimentation.

Key European Avant-Garde Movements

• Futurism: Celebrated a break from the past, praising the geometric splendor of the modern world, mechanical civilization, and technological advancements. Stylistically, it sought a dynamic and rapid verbal expression, embracing new possibilities.
• Expressionism: While not a complete rejection of earlier traditions, it

Oscar Wilde: Life and Education

Oscar Wilde's family was Dutch in origin. Oscar proceeded from a brilliant student career at Trinity College, Dublin, to even greater brilliance at Magdalene College. He won the Newdigate Prize for poetry and first-class honors in Classics.

Aestheticism and Public Life

Wilde set out to idolize "beauty for beauty's sake." Aestheticism was the keynote of his creed, and he declared that beauty was the ideal after which everyone should strive.

• His marriage in 1884 was the society spectacle of the year.
• He sparkled as England's wittiest conversationalist and its most talked-about writer.

He was convicted on charges of homosexuality. He fled to France, and was converted to Roman Catholicism just before his death.

Literary

Political and Social Context

The larger context of political tension occurs during the implementation problems of constitutional monarchies and republics. This creates a climate of uncertainty and insecurity that manifests itself in the cultural and artistic movement of Romanticism. Romanticism presides over much of the nineteenth century, and in the case of Catalan literature, important writers of the end of this century, such as Verdaguer and Guimerà, are heavily influenced by this aesthetic.

The bourgeois social class, with its powerful individualism, was the impetus behind the entrepreneurial middle class in England, which carried out an industrial revolution. The proletariat and workers, increasingly important, also eventually have an important... Continue reading "Catalan Literature in the 19th Century: Romanticism and Renaixença" »

Description: Definition and Types

Description is a form of discourse used to present objects, people, places, and feelings, identifying specific details as much as possible. It is customary to distinguish between objective description (of practical interest) and subjective description (in which the author tries to demonstrate their point of view or opinion).

Structure and Phases of Descriptive Texts

Descriptive texts often use a deductive structure, displaying information from the general to the specific details, data, or characteristics. The process typically involves:

• Observation
• Selection
• Organization
• Expression

Linguistic Features of Description

• Nouns and Adjectives: Descriptive texts focus on things and their properties or characteristics.
• Verb

The Sign: Definition, Function, and Value

The sign has different functions. One primary function is identification, which requires the sign to call upon and re-present the object identified.

Furthermore, the sign possesses value; that is, the sign is worth what it means or represents. The word itself has value, even if it is not used to express something specific.

The sign is an object that represents the idea of another object. It is also defined as a minimum unit that lends meaning to an object within a given culture. The heritage of a culture is composed of all the universes of meaning—the signs that shape that culture.

Components of the Sign

The sign consists of two essential parts:

• Shape: What is seen or perceived through the senses (the signifier)

Scientific Texts: Language and Characteristics

Scientific texts, including scientific writings and technical documents, aim to convey information about research, conclusions, or discoveries. They are characterized by two essential features:

• Universality: Science seeks to disseminate knowledge valid at all times and places. A discovery made in one location should apply everywhere. This necessitates the unification of scientific terminology and the creation of formal codes, avoiding ambiguities and ensuring objectivity.
• Objectivity: Facts and details are presented along with the circumstances in which they occur, without the author's personal assessment.

Grammatical Features

• Impersonal constructions
• Passive voice with auxiliary verbs
• Plural of modesty
• Noun

Worldviews and Belief Systems

Religious Vision

The religious vision perceives the world as a gift relationship with divinity, often creating rituals.

Classical Greek Perspective

The classical Greek view focuses on the real world and metaphysical paths toward truth, encompassing philosophy and science.

Naturalism

Naturalism posits that a person is qualified by nature; sexual urges drive the human hunger for a natural life.

Idealism

Idealism describes an independent spirit where everything fits perfectly.

Realism

Realism considers historical time, emphasizing the relationship between obtaining money and morality.

Postmodernism

Postmodernism describes a specific way of understanding the contemporary world.

Types of Messages and Advertising

Civil Service Messages

This... Continue reading "Analysis of Worldviews and Communication Acts" »

Areas of Community Social Work

Implementation and Development of Community Activity

In the field of implementation and development of community activity:

• Link to organizations and formal or informal leadership that exist within the community with the process of change.
• Train those involved, increasing their ability to act collectively and face challenges that are structural in nature and require community action to solve them.
• Establish a communication protocol that supports transparency of information, and disseminate the achievements and developments of the problems being addressed.
• Establish a gradual devolution of power in the community by promoting their self-organization and leadership development that allows for an increased role of the population.

Burgos Cathedral: Sarmental Door

The Sarmental door is a Gothic cover decorated with sculptures in high relief, attached with an exciting iconographic program. Made of stone, it presents a rich architectural framework. This cover is part of the south facade of the Burgos Cathedral. The surface texture is not visible, but all the sculptures face the viewer, displaying a clear hierarchy. Although the facade may have been polychrome, no color remains are visible.

Chronologically, the Sarmental door dates between 1230 and 1240. Burgos Cathedral is one of the Iberian Peninsula's cathedrals with undeniable French influence. Despite having a single nave, the beauty of the south transept facade is remarkable. The door contains the oldest Gothic sculpture... Continue reading "Burgos Cathedral: Sarmental Door, Gothic Sculpture & Iconography" »