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

The Renaissance and Baroque Periods

Peter Seraph (1505-1567)

Peter Seraph (1505/1510-1567) was influenced by Ausiàs March during the Renaissance. His Catalan works include two books and 170 poems.

John Smith (Died c. 1603)

John Smith (died c. 1603) fully embraced the traditionally conservative attitude of Ausiàs March. His work is a counter-accord with a movement that sought to restore the Church's moral authority, characteristic of the Baroque period.

Francesc Vicent Garcia (1579-1623)

Francesc Vicent Garcia (1579/1582-1623) is considered the greatest representative of his time, known as the Rector of Vallfogona. His work, influenced by Castilian literature, is humorous and eschatological (referring to excrement). He generated "vallfogonisme,"... Continue reading "Catalan Literary Evolution: Renaissance to Modernism" »

Miguel Hernández's poetry consistently explores three major themes: life, love, and death. His Cancionero y romancero de ausencias (Songbook and Ballads of Absences) encapsulates these profound subjects.

Nature in Hernández's Poetry

Hernández was a nature poet from childhood. His early work depicted nature as a living environment, covering landscapes and everyday elements of his modest existence. His poems, often described as modernist in their features, delve into the mystery of creation, attempting to reach the soul of things. He considered himself part of nature, exalting and dignifying even the most insignificant elements, making any element the subject of his verse.

"Perito en lunas": A Góngora-Inspired Work

At this stage, his most significant... Continue reading "Miguel Hernández's Poetic Legacy: Themes of Life, Love, Death" »

Pedro Salinas: "I Do Not Want to Live..."

For the poet, the essence of a woman is paramount. Everything else is merely an addition used to dress her. The essence of the couple is summarized in a "you and me," individualized by love.

• Structure: This poem is a couplet in seven-syllable lines with assonant rhyme, with the exception of verse 14 (trisyllabic) and verse 27 (tetrasyllabic: 3+1).
• Themes:
  • In verse 2, the poet rejects luxury and exotic settings (islands, palaces, towers) in favor of pronouns.
  • Verses 5-6 reflect how external additions (costumes, signs, pictures) blur a woman's true essence.
  • Verse 10 presents the woman without additives: pure, free, and irreducible.
  • Verses 19-20 name elements used to reach the essence (names, signs, history),

Galician Generation of the 1950s

A) Features

They did not directly experience the Civil War. They were university students and participated in the Minervas writing contest hosted by the USC, which awarded narrative and poetic works in Galician. They felt a strong interest in contemporary European culture and developed a critical awareness of the Spanish reality of the time. Most of them, during their stay in Madrid, founded the group Brais Pinto and created a literary collection of the same name.

B) Poetic Evolution

The Generation of the 1950s staged the largest thematic and formal renovation in Galician poetry, although each member followed a distinct poetic path. We can establish two periods that mark very different trends.

• 1950s: Poetry marked

Eduardo Pondal: The Bard of Galician Poetry

In Queixumes dos Pinos (Sighs of the Pines), Eduardo Pondal captures the "cry of the pines." The work serves as a translation of these natural regulations through the mouth of the bard, conveying cosmic messages. In his final poems, the author clarifies the meaning of these messages. Pondal identifies two primary types of poetry:

• Epic Poetry: Recreating a glorious Celtic past to serve as an example for the future.
• Lyric Poetry: Focused on the themes of nature and women.

Nature and Idealization in Pondal's Work

Nature in Pondal’s work appears in its purest form—timeless and devoid of human presence. The woman is viewed through a romantic lens, as an idealized figure who inspires platonic feelings.

Os

Characteristics of Medieval Literature (10th-14th Centuries)

• Oral Transmission: Works were sung or recited due to widespread illiteracy among the populace.
• Anonymity: Works often had a collective origin, lacking a single known author.
• Didactic Purpose: Content aimed to teach Christian values or proper behaviors.

Major Works and Literary Schools (10th-14th Centuries)

Traditional Medieval Lyric Poetry

• Jarchas:
  • Earliest known lyric poetry in the Iberian Peninsula.
  • Express love from a woman's perspective.
  • Written in Mozarabic (Romance dialect).
  • Appeared at the end of longer compositions written in Arabic or Hebrew.
• Cantigas de Amigo:
  • Love compositions spoken by a woman.
  • Written in Galician-Portuguese.
  • Characterized by formal simplicity, repetitions, and parallelism.

Petrarchism and 16th Century Humanism

Italian poet **Petrarch** in the 14th century embodies like no other the characters and ideals of humanism. **Petrarchism** is a style or way of writing poetry.

Poetry in 16th Century Spain

There are two main trends in poetry: traditional Spanish and Italianate poetry.

Traditional Spanish Poetry

In the fifteenth century, there existed learned poetry and popular poetry. Popular poetry manifested itself, for example, in the romances. In the sixteenth century, both types of poetry continued, and poetry was widely cultivated. The popular lyric tradition continued throughout the century.

Italianate Poetry

Italianate poetry is another type of educated and innovative poetry that came to dominate in the sixteenth century.... Continue reading "16th Century Spanish Literature: Petrarchism, Poetry, Novel" »

Key Early 20th Century Spanish Novelists

This period saw a flourishing of diverse styles, from humor to modernism and the avant-garde.

Writers Focused on Humor

Fernandez Flores: His main interest was the creation of the modern humorous novel in Spain. For him, humor was an attitude towards life, increasingly critical and intellectual (Volvoreta, The Living Forest...).

Ramón Gómez de la Serna: He wrote novels, short stories, and avant-garde theater. However, his most interesting works are the greguerías (humorous lyrical images establishing witty, unusual relationships between two objects or concepts), which he defined as: humor + metaphor.

Modernist Novelists

Gabriel Miró: He presents a special care in his prose. Formed in modernism (Cherries

Pre-Columbian Art in Latin America

Pre-Columbian, or Pre-Hispanic art, encompasses all artistic manifestations of cultures and civilizations that developed in the current Latin American territory before the arrival of European conquerors in the fifteenth century.

Mesoamerican Region

The Mesoamerican region, to the north, occupies what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and part of Nicaragua. Here are located the Aztecs and the Mayans, who built pyramids and large patios with writing based on signs that appear in books called codices.

Andean Region

The Andean region, south along the Andes and Pacific Ocean coasts, includes Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and part of Chile. They raised monumental stone edifices and excelled in ceramics and goldsmithing,... Continue reading "Pre-Columbian Art: Mesoamerican & Andean Civilizations" »

José María Iparraguirre (1820-1881): A Life Dedicated to Basque Identity

José María Iparraguirre was born in Urretxu, Gipuzkoa. As a young boy, he moved to Madrid with his parents. At the age of 13, he returned to the Basque Country and fought in favor of the Carlists in defense of the *Fuero* during the First Carlist War. In 1839, after the war's end, he did not approve of the Embrace of Bergara, believing the promise was not kept. Consequently, he had to leave for exile, along with many others.

Exile and the Birth of "Gernikako Arbola"

Abroad, he found protection from a French soprano singer. In addition to learning French, he studied reading, music, and the songs of French poets. In 1852, he returned to the Basque Country and sang "*Gernikako... Continue reading "José María Iparraguirre: Basque Bard and Symbol of Freedom" »