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

Introduction to the Maison Carrée

The Maison Carrée is a pseudoperipteral Roman temple located in the urban area of Nîmes, France. Its construction dates back to the time of Agrippa, around 16 BC. The original author of this description is anonymous.

Construction Materials

The Maison Carrée was built using materials such as marble, particularly for its upper sections and decorative elements.

Architectural System and Details

The temple's construction system is based on wall lintels and features Corinthian columns. It utilizes a base derived from the Attic base. The capitals are adorned with three rows of acanthus leaves, with each leaf in the upper rows placed between two leaves of the bottom row. At the center, a rosette is found between the... Continue reading "The Maison Carrée: Roman Temple in Nîmes" »

Rome: Republic and Empire

Roman Art

Roman art adopted Greek forms, creating a realistic and sober style that prioritized practicality and functionality over pure aesthetics.

Roman Architecture

• Imitated Greek models, emphasizing practicality and functionality in large cities and public buildings.
• Utilized arches and barrel vaults.
• Common materials included brick, marble, and concrete.
• Combined architectural orders.
• Civil architecture was more prominent than religious architecture.

Arches and Vaults

Used in homes and temples, these structures were often clad with exterior marble panels. The Colosseum exemplifies a composite order, featuring Doric on the first floor, Ionic on the second, and Corinthian on the third.

Civil Architecture

Cities

Initially agricultural,... Continue reading "Roman Architecture and Art: Republic and Empire" »

Ángel Fieramente Humano: Postwar Revelation

Ángel fieramente humano was identified by critics of the 50s for its originality. Dámaso Alonso proclaimed that poetry "as uprooted" as one of the three or four revelations of postwar Spanish lyric. The title of the work comes from a sonnet by Góngora: "porque el ángel es fieramente humano."

In these torn poems, Blas de Otero discusses the post-war man's anguished existence, the existence of humanity in ruins.

The poet crying in Ángel fieramente humano is no longer merely a subject but raises his rebellion against pain, in the midst of solitude.

The themes of love, the mortal condition of man, anguish, and loneliness run throughout the book. God is the representative of the power of distance and... Continue reading "Blas de Otero's Poetic Trajectory: Anguish, Society, Spain" »

Aesthetic Affinities of the Generation of '27

Aesthetic affinities between the components of the Generation of '27:

• From dehumanization and human authenticity: the human concern is increasing, not to mention the aesthetic requirements.
• Among the tightness and clarity: the cultured and popular.
• Among the intellectual and the emotional: emotion restrained by the intellect.
• Between the universal and the Spanish: receptivity to foreign poetry and poetry with strong national roots.
• Between tradition and renewal: combine art with respect for tradition (J.R.J., Bécquer, Góngora, etc.).

Themes of the Generation of '27

• The city: comfort and frivolities, inventions, communications, transport, etc.
• Nature: near the city or assumed by it. From exile, the reason

Baroque Lyricism in the 17th Century

Features

• The artist seeks original creation, leading to the admiration of the reader.
• Tends towards balance, exaggeration, and the expression of strong contrasts.
• Nature and harmony are not considered a reflection of divine order.

Themes

• Love: Inspired by the Petrarchan ideal, but often appears with a tone of despair.
• Nature: No longer seen as an ideal world, an image of the divine, but used simply as a decorative background.
• Mythological Legends: Become topical and are used continuously, sometimes mechanically.
• Disappointment: Fear of the transience of time and pessimistic thoughts about death. Avoids ordinary burlesque.

Culteranismo

Seeks to impress the reader by using exaggerated language and literary devices.... Continue reading "Baroque Lyricism and Theater in the 17th Century" »

Key Spanish Poets (1891-1963)

Pedro Salinas (1891-1951)

• 1923 - Omens: Books influenced by Juan Ramon Jimenez and the avant-garde.
• 1929 - Seguro azar: Poems dedicated to the typewriter or the movies.
• 1933 - The Voice Due: Item you love, that is not suffering or frustration, but a source of joy and mysterious force that gives meaning to life and the world.
• 1936 - Name of Love
• 1946 - The Poetry Referred: Tinged drama and anguish over the events.
• 1949 - A Vivid Clearer: (war, etc.).

Jorge Guillén (1893-1984)

Considered the prototype of the pure poet and intellectual. His poetry is the result of a rigorous selection process: look for the idea or feeling, eliminating the anecdotal or accessory.

• Song: Collected in successive editions (from 1928-1950). Topic:

Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas (1580–1645)

Born in Madrid, Quevedo studied at Alcalá and lived in Valladolid, his life intertwined with the court and political activity. Imprisoned in León in his later years by order of the Count-Duke of Olivares, Quevedo experienced firsthand the suffering of confinement. A master of language and poetic forms, his work is divided into several poetic categories:

• Love poems: Written according to the conventions of the era's amatory lyric.
• Metaphysical poems: Covering themes such as anguish, disappointment, resignation, and the transience of life.
• Moral poems: Adopting the stance of a moralist, Quevedo criticizes and satirizes human weaknesses.
• Satirical poems: Alluding to characters in 17th-century society,

La Celestina: A Tragic Love Story

Story: A tragic love story where Calisto, a young bourgeois, falls deeply in love with Melibea, a beautiful young woman of a higher class. She initially rejects him. Calisto seeks help from his servant Sempronius, who suggests the bawd Celestina. Celestina uses her wisdom and spells to unite the young lovers. However, the servants are killed for not sharing their payment. Calisto dies after falling from Melibea's house wall, and Melibea commits suicide out of love.

Editions:

• Comedy of Calisto and Melibea (Burgos, 1499): 1st edition, 16 acts. Includes the Author's letter to his friend, detailing the text's creation.
• Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea (Seville, 1502): 21 acts. A foreword explains the title change

Federico Garcia Lorca

Federico Garcia Lorca was an excellent poet and playwright. His works often explore the topics of love, frustration, and tragic destiny, featuring many marginalized people doomed to pain, loneliness, and death. His style is personal and bright, with plastic images, and his poetry is suggestive and dramatic. His work, in both senses of the word, is theatrical and tragic: theatrical because it is expressed through characters, and tragic because it reflects fatalism, presenting humans in a fight against an adverse fate. Along with tragic fate appear frustration and impossible desire. Notable works include Poet in New York and Gypsy Ballads. His theater is poetry that presents a stylized reality, posing a single theme: the... Continue reading "Spanish Poets: Lorca, Alberti, Salinas, and Diego" »

Item 13

Narrative

Narrative is the genre that best adapted to cultural changes, while poetry and drama became genres for a minority audience. The novel, as a subgenre, became more commercial.

Characteristics of the Contemporary Novel

• Confluence of several generations of authors: Postwar novelists, authors of the Generation of '68, writers of the Generation of '80.
• Diversity of trends: Addresses all kinds of issues and adopts different styles and narrative techniques. Novelists often return to historical narrative.
• Publishing Market: The main types of novels have grown without one dominating the others. They conform to publishing criteria and public taste. The novel becomes both a cultural product and a consumer product.
• Latin American Influences: