Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Latin for Baccalaureate

Neoclassical Poetry

Neoclassical poetry values neat verse and didacticism, avoiding excess or intimate deviation. Poems in this style often take the form of a fable, with a satirical intent, and a proper way to implement their ideal. Verses are correct and devoid of strong emotion.

Themes

Neoclassical poetry focuses on immediate reality and traditional themes, drawing inspiration from classic storytellers like Aesop, or modern ones.

Representative Authors

• Samaniego (Moral Fables): Addresses various issues and aspects of traditional morality (avarice, lies, etc.). His tone and language vary, but his poems are didactic, with an easy and smooth verse (e.g., *The Cicada and the Ant*, *The Flies*, *The Fox and the Bust*).
• Iriarte (Literary Fables): Pedagogical

The Pantheon in Rome

The building holds significant interest, particularly its internal aspect.

Time Period

Art of the High Roman Empire (118-128 AD)

The Pantheon is a religious building dedicated to honoring all the gods, intended for the glorification of the gens Julia and to project the prestige of imperial power.

As indicated by the inscription on the frieze of the portico, the building is attributed to Marcus Agrippa, a friend and general of Emperor Augustus. However, it is now known that Agrippa's original temple was rebuilt under Emperor Hadrian.

The first temple was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and built between 27-25 BC. Its construction was entrusted to Lucius Cocceius Auctus. It was built between the Basilica of Neptune and the Saepta...

Celestite

Authorship

Attributed primarily to Fernando de Rojas, with Act I possibly by Rodrigo de Cota. Initially 16 acts, later expanded to 21.

Editions

• 1^st Edition (1499-1500): Untitled, also known as Comedia de Melibea. Contains 16 acts and annotations, including an acrostic verse prologue.
• 2^nd Edition (1502): Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea, with 21 acts.
• 3^rd Edition: Mid-16^th century, titled La Celestina.

Genre

Debated between:

• a) Play: Division into acts, absence of a narrator, action driven by dialogue, specific time and place setting.
• b) Dialogue Novel: Length and complexity make it difficult to stage.

Structure

• Act I: Introduction to the action.
• Acts II-XII: Development of conflict between characters.
• Acts XIII-XX: Development of Calisto and Melibea'

Luis de Góngora y Argote: Poetic Innovation

Góngora was an innovator of poetic language of his time, practicing less Petrarchan poetry and art. His minor art includes:

• Moorish romances
• Pastoral poems
• Burlesque works, notably "The Fable of Pyramus and Thisbe" and satirical letrillas.

Sonnets

His sonnets explore themes of love and the incitement to pleasure (carpe diem). Other groups focus on burlesque, disenchantment, and the transience of life.

Longer Poems

His major works include:

• "Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea" (written in octavas reales)
• "Soledades" (written in silvas)

While love is a main theme, these poems also highlight pastoral settings. Góngora's style is characterized by its complexity, featuring mythological allusions, a highly cultivated...

Baroque Theater: A Popular Phenomenon

Baroque theater was a very popular show that drew interest from all social classes and strata, including the King, nobles, common people, priests, and nuns.

The New Art of Making Comedies

This era created a new kind of theater based on Lope de Vega's "New Art of Making Comedies." These works were written in verse using classic forms such as:

• Quatrains
• Ballads
• Sonnets

The high quality of many works and authors, such as Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, and Tirso de Molina, ensured that these classical works remain highly valued, maintaining public interest even centuries after being written.

The Corrales de Comedias

Corrales de comedias (theatrical courtyards) were open courtyards surrounded by houses. At one...

Plato's Idealism and "The Republic"

Plato based his idealism on the claim that the true reality was not this sensible world, but the world of Ideas. This text primarily discusses his work, The Republic, which he wrote in two stages. The first book was composed during his youth, reflecting the ideas of Socrates, while the remainder was written in his mature stage. The Republic is dedicated to justice and is developed as a Socratic dialogue, notably with two sophist brothers (likely referring to Glaucon and Adeimantus).

Plato expounds on some of his fundamental ideas, including the existence of two worlds: the sensible world (perceived by senses) and the intelligible world (grasped by reason).

Key Concepts in "The Republic"

Book VI of The Republic...

Postwar Spanish Theater: An Introduction

The postwar Spanish theater catered to a bourgeois public of questionable taste. Ideological constraints were compounded by strict censorship, shaping the dramatic landscape of the era.

The Commercial Theater Landscape

High Comedy Theater

• This genre often criticized the customs of the bourgeoisie.
• It frequently defended traditional Francoist spirituality.
• Authors: Pema, Luca de Tena, Calvo Sotelo.

Comic Theater

• Authors: Jardiel Poncela (_Eloísa está debajo de un almendro_), Miguel Mihura.

The Renovating Theater Movement

Renovating Comic Theater

• Author: Miguel Mihura: _Tres sombreros de copa_, _Melocotón en almíbar_. (His corrosive critical power diminished over time.)

Existential Drama: Maverick & Concerned

S18: Bourbon Suppression

After the succession of Gurria Mon and the enthronement of the Bourbons, the Catalan language was banned and persecuted. Charters, customs, and usages were abolished.

The Enlightenment

Dominated by rationalist ideas of progress and science, literature was primarily didactic and essayistic. Publications included grammatical and historical dictionaries, and catalogs of literary authors.

Poetry

Neoclassicism

Didactic and scholarly, imitating classical forms and themes. Poets also cultivated satirical poetry and narrative (e.g., John the Baptist Escorigüela, Anthony Cardona and February, and Joan Ramis).

Preromanticism

Characterized by a more intimate, subjective, and sentimental style. This led to the early Romantic authors of...

Federico García Lorca: Key Figure of the Generation of '27

Federico García Lorca was a key figure in the Generation of '27 due to his influential literary work and his crucial role in Spanish cultural life.

Central Themes in Lorca's Poetic World

Lorca's poetic world is often tragic and violent. His central themes include:

• Love: Love is presented as a true life force and source of energy and fullness, validating all erotic inclination. However, the love relationship is frequently condemned to frustration.
• Death: The failure of love often leads to death. Its mysterious presence permeates situations, characters, and history, exercising a powerful attraction.
• Children/Innocence: Childhood is seen as the age of innocence. Lorca's poetry often recreates

Luis Cernuda

Influences in Luis Cernuda's Poetry: Spanish and Foreign

The three most immediate teachers were Machado, Unamuno, and Juan Ramón Jiménez. His lyrical lineage includes:

• Garcilaso
• Surrealism
• Bécquer
• Hölderlin
• Gide

In turn, Cernuda is the poet who most influenced post-war Spanish poetry. His attitude is visible in the works of José Ángel Valente, Jaime Gil de Biedma, and many other poets.

Themes of Luis Cernuda's Poetry

Cernuda's work revolves around several core topics:

Love and Eroticism

Cernuda is recognized as one of the great poets of love. However, love in Cernuda is defined by eroticism and the desire to merge with another body; it is neither idealistic nor platonic. This desire often remains unfulfilled in reality, a difficulty...