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

Song of Exile

El Cid is banished by King Alfonso VI because some envious individuals have accused him of keeping a portion of the taxes collected from Andalusia. He leaves his wife, Jimena, and daughters in the Monastery of Cárdena. Soon after, he begins his military campaigns against the Moors, operating from Teruel to Zaragoza. The conquest culminates with the liberation of the Count of Barcelona, whom El Cid had previously taken prisoner.

Song of the Wedding

El Cid continues his military activities, reaching the Mediterranean and conquering Valencia. He then begs the King to allow Jimena and his daughters to join him in the city. El Cid shows off his conquered lands, having become rich and powerful. Because of this, the Infantes of Carrión... Continue reading "El Cid: Exile, Battles, and Legacy in Medieval Spain" »

Spanish Poetry After the War

1. Poetry in Exile loses contact with the renewal of the years preceding the war. The themes are common to all of them (parental loss, memories, longing to return, etc.), and really care about the land where you live. The existential perspective of life predominates, and the style is more casual and conversational.

2. Spanish Poetry After the War: The process of rehumanization, pulled down in '27, will continue after the war. It is not entirely true for poetry that was cultivated in our country in the '40s and '50s. The poetry scene is divided into:

• Rooted Poetry: A group of authors with a bright, coherent, and orderly vision of the world. The so-called creative Youth (contrary to the negative approach of the rest

Generation of '27

In the 1920s, a group of outstanding poets emerged, renewing Spanish poetry of the twentieth century. This group, often associated with the tribute to Góngora's tercentenary, included Jorge Guillén, Salinas, Alberti, Lorca, Dámaso Alonso, Gerardo Diego, Cernuda, Aleixandre, Manuel Altolaguirre, and Emilio Prados. They aimed to renew poetic language, influenced by modern and avant-garde traditions. Characteristics adopted by the Generation of '27 included intellectual poetry, hermeticism, minority appeal, originality, and self-sufficiency of art. They used free verse and metaphors.

Stages:

1. Up to 1927: Influence of Juan Ramón and 'pure' poetry.
2. Until 1939: Stage of maturity, re-humanization of poetry.
3. Emerging poets and exile

17th-Century Spanish Theater

Religious Theater

Manifested through mystery plays, short allegorical pieces presented within religious ceremonies, often depicting abstract figures and themes like the Eucharist or communion.

Court Theater

Performed in palace gardens or halls, particularly during Philip IV's reign. Set design innovations allowed for spectacular special effects in mythological or fantastical comedies.

Structure of Plays

Plays began with a celebratory opening, followed by the first act. An interlude separated the first and second acts. Singing or a short greeting introduced the third act, concluding with a farce.

Lope de Vega

Poetry and Narrative

A skilled poet with a natural and accessible style. He wrote traditional lyric poetry, sonnets,... Continue reading "17th-Century Spanish Theater: Lope de Vega & Calderón de la Barca" »

What is an Editorial?

An editorial is an argumentative text that explains and assesses a significant journalistic event.

Characteristics of an Editorial

• Authorship: The editorial is an unsigned text that aims to show a collective opinion.
• Theme: Must be current and relevant, often linked to politics, economics, etc.
• Function: To explain the fundamentals of its subject matter.
• Status: Appears in a prominent place in the opinion section of a medium.
• Adequacy: Must be suitable for the speaker's communicative intentions, the situation in which it develops, and the relationship between all parties involved.
• Coherence: Must be organized and arranged according to a major theme from which secondary ideas arise.
• Cohesion: Its components must be connected by

Origins of Catalan Literature

Catalan literature emerged from Vulgar Latin in the 12th century. The earliest known texts include legal judgments from the 12th century and the Homilies of Organyà (sermons).

Medieval Catalan Literature (13th-15th Centuries)

From the 13th to the 15th centuries, Catalan literary works achieved a high standard compared to other Romance languages. Scribes were significantly influenced by Occitan poets of the 15th century.

Prose in Medieval Catalan Literature

• Religious and Moral Prose: Notable figures like Ramon Llull and Vincent Ferrer produced numerous works rich in lexical and syntactical complexity, revealing a deep Christian rhetorical culture.
• Narrative Background: This genre encompassed historical accounts, personal

Hispanic American Fiction: Magical Realism

The 1940s saw a focus on the unique American experience through an aesthetic blending realism and fantasy. This approach, known as magical realism, sought to capture the essence of the American world. It was a literary movement that renovated existing aesthetics tied to the European avant-garde, but with a distinct aim: to reflect American reality. In magical realism, the extraordinary is presented as ordinary, and the most fantastical events are grounded in everyday life.

This new reality is characterized by Hispanic stylistic innovation and a desire to unravel the American peculiarity through a synthesis of reality and fantasy. New themes emerged, including nature, the indigenous world, political issues,... Continue reading "Magical Realism in Hispanic American Fiction: Themes and Techniques" »

Spanish Poetry in Exile: Voices of the Generation of '27

The Spanish Civil War and subsequent dictatorship led to the exile of many intellectuals and artists. Among them were prominent poets of the Generation of '27. With the notable exceptions of Gerardo Diego, Dámaso Alonso, and Vicente Aleixandre, many key figures wrote and published outside Spain, including Pedro Salinas, Luis Cernuda, Jorge Guillén, Rafael Alberti, Manuel Altolaguirre, and Emilio Prados. Juan Ramón Jiménez, also in exile, continued to produce his final works.

These exiled poets followed diverse paths, yet their productions were universally outstanding. Initially, their work was often filled with anguish, frequently addressing the theme of Spain. These authors continued... Continue reading "Exiled Voices and 1940s Currents in Spanish Poetry" »

Modernism: A Literary Movement

Modernism is a literary movement that champions art for art's sake, whose primary purpose is to celebrate beauty and evoke emotion in the reader. It is particularly evident in poetry.

Directions of Modernism

• Escapist: Characterized by legendary and exotic imagery.
• Intimate: Expresses lively, sad, and anxious moods.

Key Themes in Modernism

• Romantic Distress: Modernism shares significant affinities with the Romantic mood, including similar discomfort, rejection of a vulgar society, rootlessness, and loneliness.
• Escapism: Fleeing the world through dreaming, escape into space, and escape in time.
• Cosmopolitanism: An aspect of the need to escape; anywhere in the world can be considered a homeland.
• Love: Appears delicate, encompassing

The Latin Alphabet: Origins

The Latin alphabet is a variant of the Etruscan Greek alphabet. It is used today by almost everyone. It has 23 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, X, Y, Z.

The Disappearance of Spoken Latin

For centuries, Latin was the language spoken in most parts of Europe. It became increasingly differentiated into a cultured form and a common form. The common form evolved to give rise to Romance languages.

During the Middle Ages, Vulgar Latin became the language of communication between people, while cultured Latin was restricted to the Church and the courts of the Carolingian Renaissance. During the 8th to 11th centuries, Charlemagne favored the preservation of the cultural legacy, used in all centers... Continue reading "Latin Alphabet and Romance Languages: Origins and History" »