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

1. The Theatre After the Civil War

After the Civil War, the picture of the theatre in Spain was not encouraging. The most innovative figures, Valle-Inclán and García Lorca, were dead. Others had been exiled. Arniches, Benavente, and Marquina continued to write for a few years. Thus, in the war years, the dominant theatre was one for an audience that understood the scene as an escape. This theatre was well built, within a bourgeois dramatic conception. However, its works were little innovative and offered little social or historical criticism. The topics were not committed: infidelity in marriage, the rebelliousness of children, etc. This kind of bourgeois theatre was dominant until 1949, when Buero Vallejo premiered Historia de una escalera.... Continue reading "Spanish Theatre Post-Civil War Developments" »

The Cinquecento: Artistic Breakthroughs

Cinquecento: The artistic breakthroughs of the Quattrocento, which were dominated by harmony and balance, coincided with the first third of the century, giving way to a Mannerist language that affected Europe and served as the transition time to the Baroque. The arts capital moved from Florence to Papal Rome. The nobles and priests, such as Julius II, Leo X, and Paul III, became great patrons.

Architecture: General Features

Architecture was inspired by classical models seeking harmony and proportion. Importance was given to the effect of the whole and monumentality. The central plan was frequently used. Highlights include Bramante, whose work reflects the ornamental abundance of the Quattrocento, yet his... Continue reading "Masterpieces of Cinquecento Italian Architecture" »

Pedro Salinas

Pedro Salinas initiated a renovation of poetic language in his efforts to find the essence of things and life experiences. In this sense, he is the highest representative of what is known as "pure poetry." The three basic elements of his creation are: authenticity, beauty, and ingenuity. Salinas was a perfectionist, yet endowed with great sensitivity. He is considered the leading poet of love of his generation.

His work is typically divided into three stages:

• First Stage (Until 1932)

  Pure poetry under the influence of Juan Ramón Jiménez. Key work: Presagios.

• Second Stage (Until 1939)

  Poetry of love. His concept of love was anti-romantic, neither tormented nor suffered. Instead, love is presented as an enrichment of life and the individual.

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" »

Spanish Literature in the Early Twentieth Century

Antonio Machado

Biography: Born in Sevilla in 1875, where he spent his childhood in the Dueñas Palace with his brother Manuel. He wrote very important works. When he went to Paris he met Rubén Darío, who offered him a job. In 1907 he became a professor of French in Soria, where he met the young Leonor, whom he loved deeply. Leonor died of tuberculosis in 1912. Due to the great pain this caused, he moved to the city of Baeza, Jaén, where he worked and wrote articles during the Civil War. He died in 1939 in France, where he had taken refuge and worked as a border guard in his last days. Together with his mother, he wrote works about the sea, and children.

Miguel de Unamuno

Innovative novelist... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Miguel de Unamuno, Antonio Machado and Juan Ramón Jiménez" »

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),

Josep Carner (1884–1970)

Born in Barcelona, Carner was a prominent figure in Catalan literature.

• Early Life: Published his first poem under a pseudonym at age 11. Studied law and philosophy.
• Diplomatic Career: Joined the diplomatic corps in 1921, living abroad for many years.
• Exile: Fled to Mexico (1939–1945) before moving to Belgium, where he served as a professor at the Free University of Brussels.
• Death: Passed away in 1970.

Major Works

• Belgium (1904) and Book of Covenants.
• Distance (1946): Written during his mature years in Brussels.
• Belgium (1952): A reworked collection reflecting his experience of exile.

Joan Salvat-Papasseit (1894–1924)

A vital voice in Catalan avant-garde poetry born in Barcelona.

• Background: Self-taught through extensive

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.

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