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

Social and Political Commitment

In Madrid, Miguel Hernández experienced the coup against the Second Republic. He solidified his socio-political stance by joining the Communist Party. This commitment crystallized in his works Wind Village and The Man Stalks. Hernández was passionately rooted in solidarity with humanity. His poetry leans more towards social commentary than political rhetoric. Inspired by the 'winds of the people,' he engaged in solidarity actions and spoke out against injustice and exploitation. Until the war broke out, he wasn't strictly a revolutionary poet. The ballad form became his vehicle to encourage the fight. As time progressed, his vision of reality grew starker.

Wind Village (1937)

Wind Village is a thematically unified... Continue reading "Miguel Hernández: Poet of Social Commitment and Despair" »

The Renaixença: Catalan Literary Rebirth in the 19th Century

The Renaixença was a broad Catalan cultural and ultimately political literary movement. Its promoters sought to recover cultured literary expression in the Catalan language, to define a distinct Catalan identity, and to incorporate some of the most significant trends of contemporary European literature, particularly Romanticism and Realism.

This movement had its precedents in scholarly studies of the 18th century, culminating in Josep Pau Ballot's Grammar and Apology of the Catalan Language in 1815. Its emergence is often associated with the publication of Bonaventura Carles Aribau's poem, Oda a la Pàtria, in 1833, which is usually regarded as the starting point of the Renaixença.... Continue reading "Catalan Literary Revival: From Renaixença to Modernisme" »

Ovid's Metamorphoses: Roman Epic and Mythology

The Life of Publius Ovidius Naso

Early Life and Poetic Career

Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC-17 AD) was born in Sulmona, Central Italy, into a wealthy family of equestrian rank. While very young, he was sent to Rome to study eloquence. He then traveled to Athens, Asia Minor, and Sicily.

On his return to Rome, he was introduced into intellectual circles. He held various public offices but ultimately rejected politics to pursue poetry. He had a natural talent for writing poetry and achieved great success.

Exile by Emperor Augustus

Ovid's personal life and poetry led to his unfortunate sentence to banishment. In 8 AD, he was the subject of an accusation, and Emperor Augustus exiled him to Tomis. He had to... Continue reading "Ovid's Metamorphoses: Roman Epic, Mythology, and Legacy" »

Renaissance Humanism

Influences of the Renaissance: Humanism was a cultural movement that arose in Italy in the 14th century and extended throughout Europe until the finals of the sixteenth century.

Characteristics:

• Individual self-valuation.
• Affan for the physical and intellectual education of the youth.
• Reading and imitation of classical authors.
• Love for old books, especially original texts.
• Intimate religiosity.
• Aspiration to a clear and simple literary style without excessive expression.

Important Humanist Figures:

• Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469-1536): His travels led to a movement called Erasmianism, which had followers in Spain during the reign of Charles V.
• Petrarch (1304-1374): The Italian writer and poet most influenced the development of the Renaissance.

Renaissance Transformations in the Iberian Peninsula

During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, profound changes occurred in the Iberian Peninsula, transforming our understanding of the world. The fifteenth century marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Early Modern period. These transformations were political, economic, social, and cultural. In this century, a desire for knowledge of the classical world of Greece and Rome awakened, resulting in the stream of thought called Humanism.

La Celestina, written in the late fifteenth century by Fernando de Rojas, tells the love story that takes place in an unnamed city. The plot unfolds as follows:

1. Infatuation of Calisto: Calisto, a young knight, falls for the beautiful Melibea.
2. Appeal

Juan Ramón Jiménez
The life and work of JRJ will form part of our Noucentisme Gde1914.
Your personality: he was egocentric and hypersensitive. He sought solitude, reflection, and a quiet life.
From a young age, he knew that his fate was indisputably linked to poetry, to the relentless pursuit of beauty and knowledge through words. JRJ always believed poetry was a minority genre due to the difficulty of language. His work is not as easy to read; its conceptual density grows and becomes inscrutable as it progresses.
Poetic Path
There are several Juan Ramón Jiménezs that correspond to different evolutionary phases of his writing.

1. The Sensitive Period (1986-1915)

Obsession with death inspired his best poetry; he tried to shoo it away with... Continue reading "The Life and Work of Juan Ramón Jiménez: A Poetic Journey" »

The Generation of '98: Themes and Style

In the early 20th century, Spanish narrative production, particularly the novel, was dominated by the novelists of the Generation of '98. They protested against the decadent customs of Spanish society and proposed a total renovation. Furthermore, they defended subjectivism, contrasting with the faithful reproduction of reality favored by 19th-century realist authors.

Predominant themes include:

• The 'Problem of Spain': focusing on the Castilian landscape, the history of the anonymous individual and daily life (what Unamuno called 'intra-history'), and literature itself. They admired medieval authors like Berceo and Manrique, and classics such as Góngora, Cervantes, and Larra.
• The Existential Issue: concern

Literary Influences of the 15th Century

• Influence of Provençal Literature
• Themes of Courtly Love
• Influence of French Literature: Chivalry Novels
• Influence of Italian Humanism
• Allegorical and Rich Poetry, Romances, and Drama
• Influence of Classical Literature: Imitation of Authors and Numerous Translations
• Pre-Renaissance Literature

Noble Courtesans

Participation and dedication in many aspects of life and art. Notable figures include M. Santillana and Jorge Manrique.

Individualism

A collective anxiety disappeared as the courtly gentleman took precedence.

Obsessive Focus on Death

Dances of Death (Macabre) where death appears indiscriminately.

Shift from Anonymity

Reaffirmation of authorship.

Evolution of Purpose

Didactic purpose gives way to literature presented... Continue reading "Literary Influences and Topics of the 15th Century" »

Theatrical Structure: Acts and Scenes

Theatrical works are typically divided into acts (separated by an interval, usually three) and scenes (marked by the separate entrances and exits of characters).

Major Theatrical Genres

Tragedy: Origins and Characteristics

Tragedy, the oldest theatrical genre, originated in Classical Greece. It often revolved around the cult of the dead and depicted heroes who suffer, frequently written in verse.

• Topics: Serious, transcendental, and grand, treated with a high tone.
• Personalities: Heroes, kings, and gods.
• Action: Acts are dominated by strong passions.
• Denouement: Usually fatal, with characters often dying.

Notable tragedians include William Shakespeare, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Corneille, Racine, Schiller,... Continue reading "Theatrical Genres: From Tragedy to Drama & Ausias March's Legacy" »

Spanish Golden Age Theater: Key Playwrights

Short works, often comical, were interspersed between longer plays. These humorous one-act burlesques, or entremeses, frequently featured erotic themes or bizarre characters, adding variety to theatrical performances.

Lope de Vega: Master of Spanish Comedy

Lope de Vega, a prolific writer with probably over 300 plays, championed the national comedy, or Comedia Nueva. Despite his humble origins and scandalous life, he became an established figure in the theatrical world, though not fixed at court.

Characteristics of Lope de Vega's Work

• Characterized by a mixture of popular and cultured elements.
• Conscious of his diverse audience in the public courtyards, he aimed to satisfy all by various means.

Types of Lope