Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Arts and Humanities for University

Act I

The play opens on a cold night at Elsinore Castle in Denmark. A guard, Francisco, is relieved by Bernardo. Horatio and Marcellus join Bernardo, and they discuss the recent appearance of the ghost of the late King Hamlet. Prince Hamlet, son of the deceased king and nephew of the current King Claudius, is introduced. Claudius has married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. Denmark is also facing a potential invasion from Norway, led by Prince Fortinbras.

The guards convince Horatio, Hamlet's close friend, to witness the ghost. After hearing their account, Prince Hamlet decides to join them one night to see the ghost himself.

Polonius, the king's chamberlain, advises his son, Laertes, who is leaving for France, and his daughter, Ophelia, who is being...

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

Understanding Intertextuality

Texts are co-dependent, integrated within a system of traditions, codes, images, and structures. A text is always connected to other texts, aesthetic forms, cultural images, and signs. The act of reading involves accessing a network of textual relations; therefore, textual exegesis is an exercise in interpreting those relations—the text as intertext.

Origins and Theoretical Foundations

The term first appeared in the work of Julia Kristeva in the mid-1960s, drawing upon the work of Mikhail Bakhtin in essays such as The Bounded Text and Word, Dialogue, Novel. The original meaning of 'text' is 'tissue' or 'interwoven fabric' (Barthes).

Intertextuality involves a reconceptualization of the notions of authorship, authority,...

Understanding Research Methods: Quantitative vs. Qualitative

Quantitative and Qualitative Research: A Comparison

When conducting investigations, both quantitative and qualitative approaches are frequently employed. The choice between them often depends on the research objectives and the nature of the inquiry.

Qualitative Research

Qualitative research focuses on the presence or absence of a property, aiming to identify and analyze realities to achieve a deeper understanding. It primarily works with textual data, where repetitive arguments can indicate data saturation or finality of data collection.

Key Qualitative Techniques:

• Qualitative Observation: This involves noting the actions of a social group. The researcher can be hidden or visible, and may

Deconstruction

Deconstruction refers to the relationship between texts and their meaning; it is a philosophical approach rather than mere literary criticism. Founded by Jacques Derrida, this theory posits that a text does not possess a fixed meaning. Instead of interpreting the text as a whole, one should allow it to illustrate its own hidden, alternative meanings.

This concept is often applied to flash fiction, where the reader actively constructs meaning, effectively inventing their own story. Because there is no objective truth and language is considered inherently unreliable, the variety of interpretations is infinite. For example, The Great Gatsby can be deconstructed: Gatsby realizes his dream is unfulfilled because he cannot purchase Daisy’s...

San Lorenzo de El Escorial: The Royal Monastery of Felipe II

Historical Context and Foundation

San Lorenzo de El Escorial served as the retirement palace for King Felipe II, known as Rex-Sacerdos. The site stands as an exaltation of the solemnity of the Catholic faith, designed with a functional program to sustain and protect it. Established by the Hieronymite Order in the Herreriano style, the location was chosen in 1561 after Madrid became the capital, specifically near Monte Abantos.

Scientific and Territorial Planning

The site selection was highly controversial but ultimately a scientific choice involving architects, philosophers, and doctors. The location was meticulously studied, particularly regarding winter climate conditions. The building...

Topic 5: Survival Equipment and Disasters

Survival Equipment

• Compass, first-aid kit, magnifying glass, matches, metal pot, multitool, rope, tarpaulin, torch, waterproof bag, water purification tablets, whistle.

Disasters

• Avalanche, cyber attack, drought, earthquake, flooding, forest fire, global warming, hurricane, nuclear explosion, volcanic eruption.

Survival Skills

• Attitude, heat, protect, source, task.

Topic 4: Photography and Language Structures

Photography

• Angle, close-up, contrast, depth, effective, flash, frame, highlight, impact, point at, set up, shoot, shot, subject, viewer.

Prepositional Phrases

• At first, by chance, by far, in/out of focus, in a hurry, in contrast, in fact, in general, out of the ordinary.

Adjective Suffixes

• Cheerful, cultural,

The Linguistic Sign

Signs are realities that we perceive through our senses and that signify something. They consist of:

• Signifier: The part of the sign that is perceptible to the senses and is associated in the mind with another reality (e.g., a red light).
• Signified: The concept or reality that the signifier evokes (e.g., the idea of 'do not cross').

Classes of Signs

• Signs created by humans to communicate. These signs are:
  • Conventional: They are the result of an agreement between users.
  • Encoded: They are used according to the rules of a code.
  • When signs bear a resemblance to the reality they represent, they are called icons. When they represent a social, religious, or cultural concept, they are called symbols.
• Symptoms or Indices: Signs that refer

The Three Dimensions of Language Learning

The author believes that the three dimensions of language are learned differently, and therefore they must be taught differently. Sometimes we can make strong semantic bonds that help items stick, but that alone is not sufficient to learn a lexical item. Learning use requires that learners develop a sensitivity to context. Certain teaching techniques lend themselves more effectively to teaching one dimension rather than the others.

The Importance of All Three Dimensions

In Linguistics

Knowing that there are three dimensions enriches our understanding of language in communication.

In Language Teaching

Methods of language teaching commonly emphasize one or the other of these three dimensions. Analyzing language...