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

Romantic Lyricism: Definition and Features

Romantic lyric is a literary piece written in verse that has the characteristics of the Romantic movement.

Key Features:

• Directly linked with the author's emotions and experiences.
• Identification of nature with the author's moods.
• Presence of religious elements.
• Identification of the poet with his work, incorporating elements of their life.
• Polyrhythm, meaning the lines are not metrically equal.
• Use of romantic elements, such as metaphors and expressive resources.

Latin American Representatives of Romanticism:

• Martín Fierro
• Rubén Darío
• Esteban Echeverría
• Juan Zorrilla
• Juana Inés de la Cruz

Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde: Romantic Lyricist (19th Century)

Life and Influences:

• Left Venezuela due to disagreements with

Jorge Carrera Andrade (1903-1978)

Jorge Carrera Andrade was born in Quito, Ecuador, in 1903. A distinguished public servant, he served as an ambassador, diplomat, minister, and vice-chairman of the House of Culture. He also participated in the founding of the Social Christian Party.

His main poetic works include:

• Juan sin Cielo (Juan without Sky)
• Estanque Inefable (Ineffable Pond)
• El Aro de Silencio (The Wreath of Silence)
• El Papel de la Manzana (The Role of the Apple)
• Lugar de Origen (Place of Origin)
• Microgramas (Micrograms)

His prose works include:

• El Sendero del Sol (The Path of the Sun)
• Viajes y Libros por Países (Travels and Books by Country)
• Interpretaciones Latinoamericanas (Latin American Interpretations)

His spiritual and poetic development unfolded... Continue reading "Ecuador's Poetic Masters: A Literary Journey" »

The Novel in the Generation of '98

As indicated in the chapter on the Generation of '98, the novel is the most important genre for many cultured members of this group. The subjects they prefer are Spain, the causes of decay, history, people... further reflection on man and his destiny. These authors do not care about the history of great characters, but for what Unamuno called the intra-historia, i.e., 'the quiet life of thousands of people without history.' Another key element in the novels of the Generation of '98 is the description of the landscape as a reflection of a particular mood.

With regard to form, these authors rely on simplicity and clarity, fleeing empty rhetoric and long sentences. The most important thing is the plot, background,... Continue reading "Generation of '98: Key Novelists and Literary Features" »

Luis Cernuda

Under the influence of Surrealism, Cernuda abandons metrical regularity. Visionary poetic images abound in his work. These images are also used to express love, which excludes homosexual choices.

Forbidden Pleasures

This work maintains dream images and incorporates prose poems. It is a voluntarily hermetic book. Cernuda attacks repressive society and defends rebellion against the rules, which allows access to forbidden pleasures.

Donde Habite El Olvido

In the poems of Donde Habite El Olvido, the pain intensifies. The duality between the angel and the devil represents the duality between reality and desire. However, desire is the source of creation because it represents the need to create, live, and love.

Jorge Guillén

Jorge Guillén... Continue reading "20th Century Spanish Poetry" »

Jorge Manrique: Nobleman and Poet

Jorge Manrique was a nobleman and soldier who aspired to be a prominent figure in aristocratic society. He cultivated poetry in his spare time, focusing on themes of courtly love (repeating topics, vocabulary, and poetic forms) and moral burlesque. His most famous work, Coplas por la muerte de su padre, consists of forty stanzas, each a pair of six-line stanzas (sextillas) with a specific broken rhythm (pie quebrado). These poems exhibit medieval features while also heralding the Renaissance.

Coplas por la Muerte de su Padre

The Coplas meditate on the passage of time, the fleeting nature of worldly possessions, and the equalizing power of death.

Key Themes in the Coplas

The work explores several interrelated themes:... Continue reading "Jorge Manrique's Coplas: Time, Death, and Fame" »

Narrative Verse Subgenres

• Epic: A poem celebrating heroic deeds (e.g., Iliad, Odyssey).
• Chanson de Geste: Oral epic extolling a local or national hero (e.g., Song of Mio Cid).
• Romance: Short poem, often in octosyllabic verse with assonance.

Prose Narrative Subgenres

• Novel: Extensive story in a specific time and space (e.g., Don Quixote).
• Story: Short narrative with a condensed plot (e.g., Jungle Tales).
• Legend: Fictional story based on historical or pseudo-historical events (e.g., Legends).
• Apologue: Story conveying moral codes (e.g., The Count Lucanor).
• Epistle: Doctrinal, philosophical, or moral text in letter form.
• Fable: Anecdote with personified animals and a moral lesson.
• Essay: Text presenting the author's viewpoint on a topic.

Theater

Actions are... Continue reading "Literary Genres and Language Functions" »

Garcilaso de la Vega (Toledo)

Served King Charles I. Exiled to an island in the Danube, then Naples. Influenced by Italian poets. Died at 35.

Themes:

• Love, sadness for the absent beloved
• Nature, locus amoenus
• Friendship, fate, fortune

Style:

• Early: Petrarchan, Ausias March influence
• Later: Increased Petrarchan influence
• Epithets, metaphors, personifications, hyperbatons

Fray Luis de León (Cuenca)

Augustinian Order, University of Salamanca professor. Imprisoned for 5 years.

Works:

• Original Poetica: 23 poems, mostly liras. Moral and religious themes. Influenced by Horace, Virgil, biblical texts.
• Prose: Humanist and Augustinian values. Exposition of Song of Songs, Exhibition of the Book of Job.

San Juan de la Cruz (Ávila)

Studied at University of Salamanca,... Continue reading "Spanish Golden Age Poets: Garcilaso, Fray Luis, San Juan" »

The Lyric

The concept of lyric poetry differs significantly between the classical world (Greek and Roman times) and the modern world, especially after the Romantic period. For the Greeks, *lyric* was a technical term that designated a type of poetry characterized by:

• Being written in a variety of verses and stanzas.
• Being sung with the musical accompaniment of the lyre or similar stringed instruments.

In Latin poetry, the element of singing and musical accompaniment was eliminated. Lyric poetry was then defined as poetry written in the same meters and stanzas as Greek lyric poetry. Therefore, in Latin, only certain poems and odes of Catullus and Horace, along with the *Carmen Saeculare*, can be considered truly lyrical.

Catullus

Catullus was born... Continue reading "Classical Lyric Poetry: Catullus, Horace, and Ovid" »

The Novel of the Forties

We can distinguish different tendencies in the narrative of these years:

Traditional Realist Novel

It is a literature that follows the traditional lines and does not contribute to building aesthetic guidelines, presenting some interesting works and authors such as Zunzunegui, Ignacio Agustí or Jose Maria Gironella, making a sort of classic novel, influenced by Azorin, Pio Baroja, Concha Espina, Bartholomew Suns...

Alarmist Realist Novel

It tells stories of cruel, in many cases of war setting. It has a harsh neo-realism, harsh language, expressive, reflecting miserable environments. These stories are violent and torn, offering a degrading view of life and man. This trend began with writers who extolled war as a victory,... Continue reading "Spanish Novels of the 1940s and 1950s: Trends and Authors" »

Odysseus' Adventures: A First-Person Account

My Journey After the Trojan War

I, Odysseus, stand before you in the court of King Alcinous, to recount my adventures since the end of the Trojan War. These tales have become popular, sung in many songs. They tell of the Cyclops Polyphemus, the enchantress Circe, who turns men into animals, and the Sirens with their misleading songs. Finally, in the thirteenth year, the narrative returns to a chronological order, and I reach Ithaca.

The Heroic Ideal in Homer's Epics

The human ideal in Homer's epics is characteristic of the aristocracy. The characters are heroes or noble kings, and their morale is competitive. The agonistic behavior of the individual is based on the recognition of their merits by others.... Continue reading "Odysseus' Adventures: A First-Person Account in Alcinous' Court" »