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

Rafael Alberti

Born in Puerto de Santa María, Alberti later moved to Madrid with his family. His first poems blended avant-garde styles with traditional lyricism and echoes of Bécquer. In 1925, he received the National Literature Award for Marinero en tierra. A profound emotional crisis in 1927 led him to María Teresa León, with whom he lived until returning to Spain in 1977, where he eventually passed away. Alberti explored diverse themes and poetic forms throughout his career. His poetry reflects his life experiences, focusing on:

• Nostalgia for a lost paradise
• Anxiety caused by the loss of this paradise
• Social commentary

Alberti's poetry is characterized by vivid imagery, musicality, and rich connotations. His poetic trajectory can be divided... Continue reading "Two Giants of Spanish Poetry: Alberti and Cernuda" »

Courtly Literature and Folk Poetry

Courtly literature reflects the noble class undergoing a profound transformation of its customs and procedures. Around the king and great literary masters, a new ideal emerges, anticipating the Renaissance perfect gentleman. There is a strong relationship between literature and courtly life.

Court Poetry

Court poetry served as learned counsel for the minority at court and was collected in songbooks and poetry anthologies, showcasing the works of numerous authors. The influence of Provencal troubadour literature led to the development of courtly love poetry. Moral didactic poetry, also inspired by love, addressed lofty themes with a solemn and sententious tone.

Italian Renaissance Influence

Echoes of the great Italian... Continue reading "Courtly Literature and Traditional Folk Poetry: A Study" »

Europe at War

Europe was at war in 1914. The First World War erupted, resulting in millions of deaths and food shortages. After the war, there was an increased distrust of democracy and capitalism, favoring communism and fascism. There was an intellectual revolution; new ideologies emerged from manifestos, scientific advances, etc. In Spain during the 1920s, social unrest and economic collapse led to a discrediting of the Restoration. In 1923, Primo de Rivera staged a coup and installed a dictatorship.

Avant-Garde Movements

There were social movements that tried to make a revolution. There was a rejection of contemporary avant-garde art, and some were active in political parties with little success. The interwar period was the heyday of avant-... Continue reading "European Avant-Garde Movements: 1914-1930s" »

Garcilaso de la Vega: Themes, Style, and Works

Themes

Garcilaso de la Vega's conception of Petrarchan love follows tradition, portraying it as an impossible love inspired by his beloved. When describing his beloved, Garcilaso depicts an idealized Petrarchan beauty—feminine beauty, refined and harmonious. This is a noble escape from the courtly life, a yearning for rest and peace, a description that leads to peaceful cities. In his mythology, he recreates myths in which love combines despair and death; these myths serve as a disguise for his own feelings.

Style

Garcilaso's style is simple, serene; it expresses feelings with naturalness and elegance, and his language possesses a musical quality. He uses metaphors, epithets, hyperbaton, alliteration,... Continue reading "Garcilaso de la Vega: Life, Style, and Works" »

The Concept of Literature

Literature is an art form that aims to create beauty through language. A literary work expands upon language, having variable characteristics and not always a direct practical purpose.

Literary Genres

Literary genres classify works based on common features. Factors determining genre include:

• Order Sought by the Author: May be aesthetic or a mix of practical and aesthetic purposes.
• Predominant Form of Elocution: Narration, description, dialogue, etc.
• Tradition: The generic conventions of the era in which the work was created.
• Attitudes of the Author: Can be objective or subjective.
• Society: Societal preferences for certain genres over time.

Classifications

Lyric, epic-narrative, dramatic, and didactic essay.

Evolution of the Term

It... Continue reading "Understanding Literary Concepts: Genres, Functions, and Forms" »

Lyrical Poetry

Lyrical poetry integrates all those literary texts in which the author delves into individual feelings, ideas, and passions. These poems do not have a historical or story line.

Subgenres:

• Anthem: Composed to be sung, anthems usually express collective feelings.
• Ode: Of a certain length, odes address lofty and abstract concepts. They are divided into stanzas or similar parts.
• Elegy: A lament or epitaph, elegies express feelings of hurt over the loss of someone, because of misfortune or calamity, or memories of a bygone past and an extinct civilization.
• Eclogue: A long poem in which the characters are shepherds who discuss their love affairs.
• Lyrics: A love poem, more or less extensive, originally troubadour, sometimes accompanied by

Grammar Fundamentals: Pronouns and Prepositions

Understanding Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can replace a nominal phrase and can therefore have the same functions. They can be tonic (or strong) and unstressed (or weak).

Types of Pronouns

• Singular / Plural:
  • 1st Person: I, me / we, us
  • 2nd Person: you / you
  • 3rd Person: him, her / they, them
• Reflexive Pronoun: se

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Classes of Prepositions

Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words in a sentence. They can be categorized as:

• Weak: a, with, of, in, for, by
• Strong: toward, against, below, from, among, up to, without, on, under, beyond, through

Common Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases are groups of words that begin with a preposition... Continue reading "Essential Grammar, Narrative Structure, and Ausias March's Poetry" »

Noucentisme: A Cultural and Political Overview

Noucentisme was a cultural and political movement that began with the creation of Catalan Solidarity (1906) and ended with the coup d'état of 1923.

Key Figures of Noucentisme

Eugeni d'Ors

Eugeni d'Ors was a key ideologue of the movement. Born in Barcelona in 1881, he studied philosophy and letters. He wrote under the pseudonym 'Xenius'. After the death of Prat de la Riba, he resigned from his government positions. He then began to write in Spanish. He died in Vilanova i la Geltrú in 1954. One of his best-known genres was the 'glosa,' a short, daily article published in an intellectual voice, aiming to bring a certain gleam to the world. His most prestigious works include La ben plantada, which presents... Continue reading "Noucentisme: Catalan Cultural and Political Movement" »

Catullus: The Learned Poet of the Poetae Novi

A group of poets known as the Poetae Novi (New Poets) initiated a trend towards more refined poetic subjectivity, prosodic and metrical perfection, and more sensitive themes such as life, death, and love. Catullus (Gaius Valerius Catullus) is considered the foremost lyric poet of this movement.

Born into a wealthy family from Verona, Catullus possessed great intellect and was called doctus poeta (learned poet) for writing with singular mastery. He delved deeply into the Alexandrian Greek tradition. His surviving work comprises 116 poems, which are typically divided into three groups based on their meter and style:

1. Nugae (Trifles - Poems 1-60): These are shorter poems, primarily in hendecasyllables

Late Emergence of Castilian Prose

Prose creations appeared very late in Castilian literature. Early writings were brief annotations in the margins and romances interspersed within Latin texts. At that time, Latin was not understood by all and was translated. It was the language of the church, monasteries, schools, and universities, which for centuries were ecclesiastical centers radiating culture. This Latin culture, of religious inspiration, held itself apart from the Romance languages, contemptuously referring to them as 'romances'.

13th-Century Prose and Scientific Learning

The powerful influence of Arabic and Hebrew cultures, which had assimilated and retained much Greco-Latin knowledge, was significant. Royal support for cultural activities... Continue reading "Evolution of Castilian Prose: From Annotations to Literary Works" »