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

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" »

Luis de Góngora y Argote: Poetic Innovation

Góngora was an innovator of poetic language of his time, practicing less Petrarchan poetry and art. His minor art includes:

• Moorish romances
• Pastoral poems
• Burlesque works, notably "The Fable of Pyramus and Thisbe" and satirical letrillas.

Sonnets

His sonnets explore themes of love and the incitement to pleasure (carpe diem). Other groups focus on burlesque, disenchantment, and the transience of life.

Longer Poems

His major works include:

• "Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea" (written in octavas reales)
• "Soledades" (written in silvas)

While love is a main theme, these poems also highlight pastoral settings. Góngora's style is characterized by its complexity, featuring mythological allusions, a highly cultivated... Continue reading "Baroque Poetry Masters: Gongora, Lope de Vega, Quevedo" »

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" »

The Spanish Language in America: Historical Context

The introduction of Spanish in America was a slow process spanning centuries, reaching its maximum extent in the eighteenth century as the language of government, culture, and the Church. The geographical varieties adopted by Spanish in America depend on the social, cultural, ethnic, and substrate factors of each region where Spanish arrived. Specifically, some of the factors that contributed to the emergence of these varieties were:

Factors Contributing to American Spanish Varieties

The Origins of the Settlements

The Castilian language that reached American soil in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries still lacked a fixed linguistic system. In this sense, the different regional origins... Continue reading "Linguistic Evolution and Characteristics of Spanish in America" »

The 1940s: Post-War Spanish Novel

The novel of the 1940s focused heavily on the social and gender dynamics prevalent in the immediate post-Civil War decade, often reflecting the harsh realities of the time.

Literary Movements of the Forties

Restorers of Realism

This group published books closely aligned with the style and themes of 19th-century Spanish realism (e.g., Benito Pérez Galdós).

• Key Authors: Juan Antonio Zunzunegui, Ignacio Agustí, José María Gironella.

Innovators

A group of writers who began with a tone of realism but quickly moved toward desperate existential themes. Living under strict censorship, their works denounced the misery and troubles plaguing the country. Their novels, often described as tremendist, offered the reader a... Continue reading "Post-War Spanish Novel: Literary Movements of the 1940s and 1960s" »

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

Understanding Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

Notice: Verbal and nonverbal communication involves spontaneous activity between two or more partners, incorporating both verbal and nonverbal elements. The conversation is regulated while developing and occurs in direct and shift.

Structure of Conversation

• Open Greetings: Initiating the conversation
• Core of the Conversation: The objective of the discussion
• Ending the Conversation: Concluding remarks

Vowel Usage in Catalan

The vowels E and A are neutral and unstressed. There are specific rules regarding nominal endings:

• Final vowel e for male names
• Final vowel for female names
• In plural words, ending in a neutral vowel e is written with verbal es.

Verbal Forms and Their Endings

Verbal forms end in a neutral... Continue reading "Understanding Verbal and Nonverbal Communication in Catalan" »

The Galician Theater in the 20th Century: Trends, Authors, and Works

A) Theater Before the Civil War (1882–1936)

The first theatrical debut in Galician dates back to the work of Antonio Mª de la Iglesia in early 1882. In the 20th century, until the era of the *Irmandades da Fala* (Brotherhoods of the Galician Language), the few existing writings show an almost exclusively rural, highly *costumbrista* (local customs) ambiance. This was village theater, often dealing with local topics, written in verse, which sought comic contrast between the Galician peasants and the *señoritos* (gentry).

The number and quality of authors and works increased significantly from 1916, thanks to the orientation provided by the *Irmandades da Fala*. Key works of... Continue reading "Galician Theater in the 20th Century: Trends, Authors, and Works" »

Cultural Work of Galician Exiles

• Creation of cultural magazines (e.g., Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo immigrant communities).
• Establishment of channels for the distribution of Portuguese literature (collections, editorials).
• Consolidation of Galician Theater: emergence of new Galician theater companies.
• Extensive work disseminating Portuguese culture in immigrant communities.

Luis Seoane: Art, Exile, and Return

Son of immigrants, Luis Seoane was born in Buenos Aires. During the Civil War, he emigrated to Buenos Aires where he founded publishing houses and published books. He published poems such as Fardel eisiliado in Bretema de Santiago, and Las Cicatrices. After 27 years, he returned to Santa Catarina and deepened his work at Sargadelos with Díaz... Continue reading "Galician Literature and Culture: Post-Civil War Voices" »