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

**Martí i Pol (1929-2003)**

*Sixties Poetry*

Martí i Pol's poetry is deeply rooted in his experiences. These include a textile conference in his hometown, his working-class status (he worked in a factory), his vocation as a poet, and his experience with multiple sclerosis. His first collections, *El Poble* (*The People*) and *La Fàbrica* (*The Factory*), are considered realistic and historical. In 1970, as his disease progressed, he began a process of introspection that led him to reflect on death, loneliness, and the importance of life. This period produced works like *Vint-i-set poemes en tres temps* (*Twenty-Seven Poems in Three Times*) and *L'arrel i l'escorça* (*The Root and the Bark*). He also wrote *Estimada Marta* (*Beloved Marta*... Continue reading "Catalan Literature: Authors and Works from Post-War to Present" »

L'Atlàntida: Verdaguer's Early Epic

L'Atlàntida aconsegueix els honors dels Jocs Florals, permetent a Jacint Verdaguer dedicar-se exclusivament a ser escriptor. A partir d'aleshores, Verdaguer comença a viatjar i a escriure sobre les seves impressions en prosa. Amb els anys, també s'aprecia la seva paraula poètica religiosa.

En definitiva, L'Atlàntida és un gran poema èpic culte que incorpora la literatura catalana amb una gran construcció narrativa, incloent molts elements de llenguatge popular (com termes de geologia i natura). Amb la seva poesia, Verdaguer volia aconseguir:

• Convèncer la societat.
• Mostrar les seves conclusions religioses.

Canigó: Masterpiece of Catalan Literature

Canigó és un poema èpic que supera L'Atlàntida. Comprèn... Continue reading "Jacint Verdaguer's Epic Poems: L'Atlàntida and Canigó" »

La Celestina (1499)

The play was first published anonymously, attributed to an anonymous author, and focused on the characters of Melibea and Callisto. It consisted of 16 acts. Later, it was attributed to Fernando de Rojas. In 1502, it was printed with a new title, Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea, and with 5 new acts. The work is known mainly as La Celestina. La Celestina is a very long work in dialogue. Some consider it a novel, others a play, while others think it is a dialogued novel.

Style: Cultured and popular language.

Characters: Divided into two groups: the upper class, such as Calisto and Melibea, and the popular class, such as Celestina, prostitutes, and servants.

Topics: Love, death, greed, selfishness, avarice, class struggle.

The

The Life and Death in the Poetry of Miguel Hernández

Many have noted the relationship between biography and lyrical creation. The life of Miguel Hernández is a prime example: passions, jail, and death of a poet.

The work of Miguel Hernández is like a life: start-ups, youthful drive, and personal affirmation that leads to accepting life as punishment.

Early Poems: Vitality and Optimism

From the first poems to "The Lightning That Never Stops," there's a conscious disregard, carefree vitalism, and natural optimism. His life goes one way, and his work another.

Nature and Death

Many poems pay homage to nature: plants, rocks, bugs, etc., from the orchards of Orihuela. Miguel picks up things as if they were alive; death does not diminish the beauty of... Continue reading "Miguel Hernández: Life, Death, and Poetry's Tragic Beauty" »

Baroque Literature in 17th Century Spain

LITERATURE T-4: The Baroque: A cultural movement that developed in Spain in the 17th century. The awareness generated by the crisis, pessimism, and disappointment gave rise to existential angst.

It produced one of the most splendid historical moments in literature and the arts. Baroque aesthetic concepts are transformed into momentum builders and great contrasts. Baroque literature aims to surprise and impress, and the ideal of the authors is the keenness of wit.

Baroque Lyric Poetry and Literary Movements

Baroque Lyric Poets (17th Century), Culteranismo, and Conceptismo

• Conceptismo: Aims for a dense and complicated content that surprises the reader with wordplay, achieving condensation and meaning.
• Culteranismo:

Bécquer's Biography

Two constants dominated the short life of the greatest Spanish lyrical poet of the nineteenth century: poverty and suffering. Gustavo Adolfo Domínguez Bastida was born in Seville, Andalusia, in 1836, to a respectable but financially modest family. His father, José Domínguez Bécquer Isausti, was a painter of some distinction, and his mother, Joaquina Bastida Vargas. Both brothers later adopted the surname Bécquer.

His father died when Gustavo was only five, and four years later, his mother passed away. At eighteen, he moved to Madrid, enduring hardship while writing articles and inconsequential plays. At twenty-one, he contracted tuberculosis.

Later, after attending the Nautical School of San Telmo, he lived with his godmother,... Continue reading "Life and Rhymes of Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer: A Poetic Journey" »

The Epic History of Roman Poetry

The First Period (753-241 BC): Origins of Profane Songs

The origins of Roman epic poetry are shrouded in mystery, disappearing into legends and myths. This early period featured works such as:

• Carmina Convivalia: Songs sung at banquets by young nobles, honoring their ancestors.
• Carmina Triumphalia: Jests and jeers sung by soldiers, directed at the victorious general.
• Neniae: Laments in verse, sung at funeral feasts.

The Archaic Period (241-88 BC)

This period saw the rise of named authors, representing historical facts, often contemporary to their own time:

• Livius Andronicus: A 3rd-century BC Greek from Tarentum. He translated the Odyssey into Latin, introducing epic poetry to the Roman world.
• Gnaeus Naevius: From

Pere Calders: A Brief Biography

Pere Calders was born in Barcelona in 1912. He spent his childhood on a farm in the Vallès region. He went to study in Barcelona when his family moved there permanently. His father, Cinto, and the school stimulated his interest in literature. Since then, he never stopped writing.

His first book, The First Harlequin, was a collection of stories published just before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. After the war, he was forced into exile. After 15 years living in Mexico, he was able to publish a new collection of stories: Chronicles of the Hidden Truth.

After 23 years of exile, he returned to Catalonia. His work was not recognized until 1978, when he published stories, including Subtle Invasion, and when the... Continue reading "Pere Calders: Life, Exile, and Literary Recognition" »

Antonio Machado

Early Life and Education

Antonio Machado was born in Seville in 1875. He came from a learned, liberal family that moved to Madrid in 1883. He studied at the Free Institution of Education. His secular, progressive, and tolerant spirit forever marked his character. In 1907, he obtained a full professorship of French at the Institute of Soria, and there he met Leonor Izquierdo, whom he married in 1909. In 1911, he traveled to Paris and attended philosophy classes by the admired Henri Bergson. When his wife fell ill, he returned to Soria. She died in 1912, and he moved to Baeza, deeply hurt.

Career and Relationships

He continued to publish poetry, studied philosophy, and developed a radical political consciousness in contact with the... Continue reading "Antonio Machado: Life and Poetic Works" »

Relative Pronouns in Latin

Singular and Plural Forms

Five Declensions Overview

Vocabulary Lists (Pages 16-21)

Page 16

• agmen, agminis (n.): column of troops
• confertus, -a, -um (adj.): tight, crowded
• confirmo, -as, -are (v.): to ratify, confirm
• expeditus, -a, -um (adj.): without baggage
• impetus, -ūs (m.): violence, attack
• implacabilis, -e (adj.): implacable, inexorable
• necessarius,