Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Latin

Roman Literature: Origins and Development

Greek Influence

Latin literature developed under the impetus and continuing influence of Greek literature. The first works were inspired directly by Greek models. Roman authors followed the guidelines defined by already established Greek literary genres, both prose and verse. In some cases, they even aimed to match and exceed their Greek models. They also created a genre of their own, such as satire.

Characteristics

The importance of agriculture in Roman culture is reflected in poems that highlight ancestral virtues such as honesty, industriousness, and a harmonious relationship with nature. Patriotism and the praise of Rome's greatness are dominant themes throughout Roman literature. Criticism of customs...

Roman Historiography

Roman literary prose, oratory and historiography occupied the major cultural posts. Historiography was understood as a literary genre rather than as a strictly scientific work. Historians admitted the inclusion of legends, the recreation of some events, the creation of fictitious speeches and letters, and the use of expressive resources typical of rhetoric.

Origins and Early Annalists

The origins are found in the annals of the pontiffs, prepared every year, recording the most relevant facts. When the Romans won the First Punic War, they wrote their history as political propaganda and as a national affirmation. They recorded events year by year, like the pope in his annals. From there they took the name of annalists. Early...

Major Literary Genres

Literary genres represent different possibilities for the author to present their work, depending on the author's attitude towards the subject matter.

The Lyric Genre

The lyric poet expresses their inner self, presenting the reader with intimate personal experiences, their perception of their surroundings, and ultimately, their own vision of the world. Verse is often used, but poetic prose can also be employed.

The Dramatic (Theatrical) Genre

The author sets the scene for characters, embodied by actors, who talk to each other to develop the action. Stage directions (didaskalia) are displayed within parentheses, usually at the beginning of the work and in certain parts of the representation. Dramatic works can be written in...

Vocabulary Expansion: Uncommon Words and Definitions

Expand your vocabulary with this list of uncommon words and their definitions:

• Apocrypha (n/adj): The parts of the Bible called into question; of spurious authorship or intent; false.
• Arabesque (n): A sinuous, spiraling, undulating, or serpentine line or linear motif.
• Assiduous/Assiduity (adj/n): Constant, tireless, diligent, persistent.
• Balustrade (n): Railing or barrier.
• Banal (adj): Devoid of originality; clichéd or hackneyed.
• Celerity (n): Swiftness or speed.
• Clavichord (n): A soft keyboard or organ music instrument.
• Cloying (adj): Trying too hard to be nice and in the process evoking disgust.
• Coalesce (v): To grow together; to join together.
• Collude (v): To act together with a shared understanding;

Literature Manuscripts

• Cotton Vitellius: Beowulf, Judith, 3 prose poems
• Junius Manuscript: Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Christ and Satan
• Exeter Book: Christ, Juliana, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, Widsith, Deor, and other short pieces
• Vercelli Book: Andreas, The Fates of the Apostles, Address of the Soul to the Body, The Dream of the Rood, Elene

These four manuscripts contain approximately 30,000 lines of poetry, along with prose translations, religious instruction, and historical records. The Cotton Vitellius is in the British Museum, London. The Junius Manuscript is in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. The Exeter Book is in Exeter Cathedral. The Vercelli Book is in the Library of Vercelli Cathedral, Northern Italy.

Heroic Poetry

Heroic poetry connects us...

Understanding Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes

Prefixes

Prefixes are added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Here are some common prefixes:

1. Anti-, Counter-, Contra-: Opposed to, against
2. Bi-: Having two
3. Circum-: Around, about
4. Com-, Con-, Col-, Cor-: With, together
5. En-: To change to
6. Ex-: Former, previous
7. In-, Im-, Il-, Ir-, Un-: Not, not having, lacking
8. Non-: Not, lacking
9. Per-: All over, very
10. Pre-: Before
11. Trans-: Across, beyond, through
12. Uni-: Single, one
13. Ab-: Away, from
14. Ad-: Motion to, increase in
15. De-: Down, away
16. In-, Im-: In, into
17. Inter-: Between
18. Mis-: Wrong, wrongly
19. Post-: After
20. Pro-: Favoring, forward, for
21. Re-: Again, back
22. Semi-: Half, partly
23. Sub-: Less, beneath, somewhat, later
24. Super-: Over, above, beyond

Roots

Roots are the core of a word, carrying the...

The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha: A Satire of Chivalry

Miguel de Cervantes makes a satire of the romances popular in his time. It narrates the random adventures of a gentleman who lost his sanity because of his excessive fondness for books of chivalry. The work was published in two parts:

• Part I: The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605)
• Part II: The second part of the work (1615)

Part I: The Adventures of Don Quixote (1605)

The first part of Don Quixote recounts two major outings or trips.

The First Exit: The Birth of a Knight-Errant

This section is a relatively autonomous piece. It narrates how Alonso Quijano, the protagonist, decides to become a knight-errant. He chooses an appropriate name for a gentleman: “Don Quixote.

Spanish Literature in the 1950s and 1960s

Poetry

The Decade of the 50: Most Representative Authors

• Blas Otero (1916-1979): Existential poetry, social poetry, new forms of expression
• Gabriel Celaya (1911-1991): Surrealist, intense and aggressive language

The Decade of the 60: Most Representative Authors

• Jose Hierro (1922-2002): Early works: search for happiness; later works: collective suffering and existentialism
• Claudio Rodriguez (1934-1999): Simple style, singular
• Angel Gonzalez: Social poetry
• Jaime Gil de Biedma: Intimate issues
• Jose Angel Valente: Secrecy

Novel

The Decade of the 50: Representative Authors

• Rafael Sanchez Ferlosio: Realistic approach, concentration of action
• Ignacio Aldecoa: Passion as a storyteller
• Jesus Fernandez Santos: Existential themes

The

Background

In a time of chaos, a great leader rises to power by promising to restore order. He rewards the loyal followers who have helped him. Soon he grows so powerful and arrogant that even his followers no longer trust him and conspire to kill him. In the hands of William Shakespeare, this true story from history became a great tragic drama, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar.

Full title

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

Author

William Shakespeare

Type of work

Play

Genre

Tragic drama, historical drama

Language

Old English

Time and place written

1599, in London

Climax

Cassius’s death (V.iii), upon ordering his servant, Pindarus, to stab him, marks the point at which it becomes clear that the murdered Caesar has been avenged, and that Cassius, Brutus, and the other...

Reality and Poetry in The House of Bernarda Alba

Many features and notes are taken from reality. In the first act, a surprisingly vulgar and prosaic scene comes in a conversation where Poncia is eating bread and sausage. Other elements of a realistic character in this first act are the beggar who comes to beg, the tolling of the bells for the death of Bernarda's husband, the arrival of the notary to read the will, and the story of Adelaida's father. In the second act, the realistic details are reduced, but we can still see the image of women sewing, the declarations of love, the visit of the man selling lace, the songs of the reapers, the sultry color, the episode of the portrait, and the lynching of Librada's daughter. In the third act, realism...