Notes, abstracts, papers, exams and problems of Latin

Lope de Vega and the New Comedy

In the 17th century, Lope de Vega combined literary quality with the ability to attract the public. In 1609, Lope wrote his New Art of Making Comedy, a short, ironic work in which he attempts to explain and defend his theatrical conception against those who criticize the apparatus of classical acts. He proposed the following:

• Divide the comedy into 3 acts, calling them "jornadas".
• Mix the tragic and the comic.
• Mix social strata in the comedy, even appearing in the most serious works.
• The work should have a single action and develop in the same place and during one "jornada".
• Plays are written in verse.
• The writer uses different types of stanzas according to the situations.

Lope admits that the rules of Classical Theater... Continue reading "Spanish Golden Age Theater: 17th Century Drama" »

The late 19th and early 20th century in Spanish literature saw a series of innovations and changes. Pessimistic authors reflected the societal anxieties of the time. Their works often conveyed frustration and hopelessness. Influenced by Schopenhauer, they explored the idea that overcoming pain and suffering requires giving up on worldly desires. This led to a focus on lost history, internal conflict, and fragmented protagonists. The writers of '98 were united in their protest against the customs and situation of Spanish society, offering a personal and subjective view of things.

Valle-Inclán was one of the most avant-garde writers, beginning in modernism and evolving towards the grotesque. His major prose works include the Sonatas (Autumn,

Livelihood:

That which should be itself and not another.

Diverse Conceptions of the Soul

Its substantial identity. Del Alma: In substance, spirit will not admit of a composite or material existence. Del Alma is to be concrete, and to port an individual to a substance to order or resemble a universal form. Clinamen is considered to be the soul tied to the body, as the pilot of a ship, safe in its independent tendencies to substance.

Source Del Alma

As he formed the Soul

1. Traducianism:

   ESIS is the position of Tertullian and St. Augustine. Consensus is that your soul is the result of your parents.

2. Emanation:

   EI (the soul) is to be emanating from his substance (Stoic) or will not return (Neoplatonism). For Spinoza, the soul emanates from substance; for

The Evolution of Languages in Spain

Official and Co-official Languages

The constitution establishes Castilian (Spanish) as the official language of Spain. Galician, Basque, Catalan, and Valencian are recognized as co-official languages in their respective regions.

Linguistic Diversity

Linguistically, there are varieties that are not considered languages, such as Asturian and Aranese.

Historical Language Formation

The most widespread languages in ancient times were Iberian, Celtic, and Basque. Other languages like Tartessian were spoken in the south. Phoenician, Greek, and Carthaginian were established on the coasts. These pre-Roman languages eventually disappeared, but some terms reached the current Castilian.

Romanization and Romance Languages

During... Continue reading "Evolution of Languages in Spain: From Romanization to Today" »

Spanish Verbs: Tenses and Moods

Indicative Mood

• Preterite Imperfect: singing
• Preterite Perfect Simple: I sang
• Future Imperfect/Conditional Simple: sing
• Preterite Perfect Compound: I sang
• Preterite Pluperfect: had sung
• Preterite Anterior: I had sung
• Future Perfect: I will have sung
• Conditional Perfect: could sing

Subjunctive Mood

• Present: singing
• Preterite Perfect: has sung
• Preterite Imperfect/Preterite Pluperfect: had sung
• Future Imperfect: sing
• Future Perfect: he has sung

Non-Personal Forms

• Gerund: singing
• Participle: sung

Verbal Expressions

• Obligation: haber de, tener que, deber
• Probability: deber de, poder, venir a

Verbal Aspects

• Inchoative: burst out, get to, begin to
• Repetitive: go back to
• Terminative: finish, stop
• Durative: being, walking, followed
• Resultative:

Contemporary Poetry

During the war, poetry was the most cultivated genre, and the most prominent theme was exile. The poetry was characterized by continuing with the symbolist tradition, but the symbolism evolved into pure poetry. Avant-garde, experimental, and visual resources appeared. In the sixties, historical or social realism emerged.

Crisis of Realism in the Seventies

Since the seventies, realism entered a crisis, and poetry became characterized by eclecticism and a certain trend. New proposals emerged, and poetic works were published by authors of the postwar era because these poets coexisted with the realistic trend, moving away from realism.

New Poetry: Intimacy and Experience

Realism intended to achieve social change, but many poets felt... Continue reading "Evolution of Contemporary Poetry: From Exile to Experience" »

Miguel de Cervantes: Life and Works

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) was born in Alcalá de Henares and died in Madrid. His life was marked by adventure and hardship. In 1570, he traveled to Italy, where he was deeply influenced by the art, literature, and culture. He served as a soldier, fighting against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto (1571), where he sustained a severe injury to his left hand. On his return to Spain, he was captured by Turkish pirates and spent five years as a prisoner in Algiers. After being rescued by Trinitarian Fathers, he returned to Madrid and began writing plays to alleviate his financial struggles.

Cervantes lived in various locations, working as a tax collector, and faced imprisonment due to irregularities... Continue reading "Cervantes: Life, Works, and Don Quixote" »

Poets at the Turn of the 1960s to 1970s

The poets at the turn of the 1960s to 1970s adopted a more intimate, individualistic, and dualistic stance. They were more concerned with personal freedom and their own destiny. The end of Francoism, the creation of publishing houses, new literary prizes, the relaxation of censorship, and the recognition of linguistic rights facilitated the work of poets of the 1970s. This period involved social and cultural consequences suffered from the war, experiencing the culture of mass media and the youth of the 1960s, and revolting in the street fight against Francoism. They also had more information about European culture.

Characteristics

• Break with realism
• Culturalism
• Ideological and moral transgression
• Return to

Modernism in Visual Arts and Literature

Modernism is a movement that significantly impacted the visual arts (painting, sculpture, decoration, and architecture) and literature. Nicaraguan writer Rubén Darío (1867-1916) marked an important milestone in 20th-century Castilian poetry. His collection of short stories and poems, titled Blue (1888), initiated his modernist path under the influence of French poetry. This new aesthetic is emphasized in his verses in Profane Prose (1896), which features exotic, elegant, and sensual expression, colorful language, and rhythmic verse. Songs of Life and Hope (1905), his masterpiece, includes poems of great brilliance and a marked formal pace. However, it is more guarded in book form and more intimate and... Continue reading "Modernism in Visual Arts and Literature: Key Figures" »

Miguel de Unamuno

Miguel de Unamuno was born in Bilbao in 1864.

Work

Unamuno's work spans culture, poetry, plays, novels, and essays. His writings maintain continuity through the repetition of certain themes and a personal style.

Topics

• Early works reveal a juvenile stage dominated by concerns about regeneration and evolution.
• Later works transition toward existential and religious themes, reflecting maturity.

Style

His style is characterized by expressiveness, passion, vividness, and directness, often incorporating exclamations.

Theater

Unamuno's philosophical theater recalls classical tragedy. It directly addresses the existential issues that obsessed him.

Lyric Poetry

Two broad themes dominate his poetry:

• His reaction to scenery
• His existential and religious