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

Spanish Literature: 18th and 19th Centuries

Historical and Social Context

1789 - Revolutionary Situation

Economic downturn in France led to widespread discontent. In Spain, the death of Carlos V triggered the War of Succession. The 19th century saw political shifts and economic transformations initiated by the Industrial Revolution.

1808 - Napoleonic Invasion

Napoleon invaded Spain, leading to the War of Independence. In 1814, Fernando VII rejected the constitution, restoring absolute monarchy. From 1833 to 1868, liberals returned to power.

Neoclassicism (Enlightenment Thinking)

Neoclassicism affirmed the power of reason, placing humanity at the center of the world and reviving Greco-Roman art.

• Fable: Personified animals with a didactic and moralistic

Morphology and Word Formation

Word Derivation

Derivation is made up of a lexeme plus a prefix or suffix, or both. Examples include:

• Prefixes: infra (housing market), hyper, hypo (tense)
• Suffixes: mod ut ia (joy), dent ist, bear (grip), visi ble

Composition

Composition is the union of two lexemes, where each retains its own meaning. These can be written as one word or two words:

• Scarecrow
• Tooth-pullers
• Sharpener
• Dark green
• Dropper

Parasintesis

Parasintesis is composed of two lexemes plus a suffix or a prefix and a suffix (a combination of composition and derivation). Examples: bottom neighborhood, angry, belittle.

Semantics and Morphemes

Semantics is the study of words and their meaning. Key components include:

• Lexeme and Morpheme
• Derivative Morphemes: prefix,

Realism

An artistic movement that sought to represent reality as closely as possible with the highest degree of verisimilitude.

Origin and Evolution

Realism appeared in France in the first half of the nineteenth century. It evolved alongside urban society and industry, supported by an established bourgeoisie.

In Spain, it arrived in 1870 after "The Glorious" revolution and reached its heyday in the 1880s.

Realism and Naturalism

Naturalism was driven by Émile Zola, who proposed applying the scientific method to literature. He achieved this by describing and analyzing the human being as a product of their environment, historical context, and biological heritage.

In Spain, strict naturalism was often rejected, as writers championed free will and humor.... Continue reading "Realism in Literature: Origins, Characteristics and Evolution" »

The Renaissance (Return to Life)

The Renaissance began in Italy, marked by the emergence of Humanism and a profound passion for art. It developed in two main stages:

• The rebirth of the fifteenth century, known as the Quattrocento.
• The rebirth of the sixteenth century, comprising the Cinquecento (until 1527) and Mannerism (until 1594).

Quattrocento

The Quattrocento emerged in Florence, embracing the legacy of classical antiquity.

Architecture

Order, perspective, symmetry, and unity formed the foundation of architecture during this era. Buildings were the result of calculations using classical mathematical elements, such as the Ionic, Corinthian, and Doric orders. The arch dominated the facades, emphasizing horizontality and straight lines over curves.... Continue reading "Italian Renaissance Art: Quattrocento Masterpieces" »

Baroque Painting: General Characteristics

Baroque painting is defined by a strong desire for naturalism, a taste for movement, and spectacular effects. This commitment to representing reality as accurately as possible led painters to embrace subjects like still lifes and focus intensely on human expression. The study of expression was a major concern for the Baroque painter; characters are often shown laughing or shouting as reflections of their state of mind.

Key Features of Baroque Composition

• Dramatic Composition: The need to contemplate celestial glories often results in showy and dramatic compositions.
• Movement and Diagonals: The movement of the composition is intensified by the desire to create great diagonal lines.
• Light: Great importance

Painting and Sculpture: Impressionism to Avant-garde

The invention of photography in 1839, which became widespread from the 1850s, created a crisis for painting. The traditional function of painting—to faithfully represent reality—was challenged. Therefore, artists sought new paths in artistic expression.

The Rise of Modern Art Movements

Impressionism (1870s)

The Impressionists attempted to capture the effects of light and fleeting moments. Key artists included: Monet, Sisley, Pissarro, Manet, Degas, and Renoir.

Post-Impressionism (1880s)

These artists reflected their feelings or their own subjective vision of reality. Notable figures were Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Gauguin.

Early Twentieth-Century Avant-garde Trends

• Expressionism: Artists like Munch

Cultural Myths: Their Meaning and Impact on Society

Myth: According to Gatti, a myth is a collective construction. It is society at large that gives this account a place of value and provokes its preeminence. We see an effect of approximation and belonging among those who recognize it as such. The man and the myth provide the processing unit that comprehends reality around them. That is, no man can know only things that relate directly to him, but they may contain, as added value, the comprehension of beings, and so humans understand reality in their lives.

Two Definitions of Myth According to Sullivan

According to Sullivan, there are two definitions:

1. A myth is a chain of concepts that enjoy high acceptance. A cultural framework allows members

Realism and Naturalism in Literature

Realism and Naturalism: The realist movement reacted against the Romantic excesses and the overuse of subjectivity and imagination. It favored thorough and accurate observation of contemporary reality.

Naturalism in France and Spain

In France around 1870 a movement called Naturalism emerged that pushed realist objectives to an extreme. Naturalism sought to explain the causes of human behavior and incorporated new scientific ideas about the human being (determinism, heredity, natural selection of species...). It was expressed in extreme characters with physical or severe moral traits, emphasizing the most miserable aspects of human life. It was a very controversial movement, whose principal theoretical representative... Continue reading "Realist and Naturalist Trends in 19th-Century Fiction" »

Realism in 19th Century Literature

Realism emerged in Europe during the nineteenth century as a response to significant social and economic changes.

During this period, the bourgeoisie became the ruling class, while workers began to organize to demand better working and social conditions. This shift fostered a more realistic literature, as Romanticism failed to address these new social realities. Authors soon adopted an objective view of the world.

Realists viewed the novel as the most suitable genre for their purposes, as it could represent society in a truthful manner. Since their readers were primarily bourgeois, authors focused heavily on that social class.

Realist writers were heavily influenced by two philosophical currents: empiricism and

Las Meninas: A Masterpiece by Velázquez

Observe an oil on canvas depicting a scene in an interior room. This is the painting Las Meninas, created in 1656 by Velázquez, one of the true masterpieces in the history of painting.

Composition and Characters

The foreground characters are arranged in three groups:

• Center: The Infanta Margarita, accompanied by her meninas (ladies-in-waiting), Maria Agustina Sarmiento and Isabel de Velasco.
• Right: The macrocephalic dwarf Mari Bárbola, the dwarf Nicolasito Pertusato, and a mastiff dog.
• Background: The bridesmaid Marcela de Ulloa and the guardadamas Diego Ruiz de Azcona.

At the opposite end of the canvas, the figure of Velázquez stands before his easel. In the background, José Nieto, the chamberlain of the... Continue reading "Las Meninas: Velázquez and the Mastery of Aerial Perspective" »