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

Spain during this period was under an authoritarian government led by Francisco Franco. It created a one-party structure that brought together the victors. This led to a temporary isolation of the country. However, Spain was accepted into the UN in the early 1950s, an event that marked a breakthrough.

Novels written by exiled authors showed nostalgia for the lost homeland. Prominent authors of this time include:

• Francisco Ayala: His works, such as *The Usurpers* and *Death of a Dog*, and *At the Bottom of the Glass*, all share a common theme: the Civil War.
• Max Aub: Leaning towards realism, he wrote *Valverde's House* and *Fields*, also with the Civil War as a theme.
• Ramón J. Sender: His work *Requiem for a Spanish Peasant* depicts the relationship

Two Survivors from the Generation of '27: Vicente Aleixandre and Blas de Otero

Vicente Aleixandre

*Sons of Wrath* (1944)

*Sons of Wrath* was published in 1944. Its main theme is the human being, immersed in a world full of unknowns, indecipherable and hostile. It uses a language that can be considered ugly, but it is also surprising and hurtful. An everyday language that produces sadness, but also fear, loathing, and sometimes tenderness.

In *Insomnia*, the first poem of the book, the author expresses the anguish of loneliness and abandonment she feels in a world that she does not quite understand. She rebukes God, but God is silent.

*Shadow of Paradise* (1944)

This work also appeared in 1944. One could say that it is a hymn to light from darkness.... Continue reading "Spanish Post-War Poetry: Aleixandre & Blas de Otero" »

Spanish in Americas and Southern Spain

There is a strong relationship between the Spanish spoken in South America and in southern Spain (Andalusia, Canary Islands). The most outstanding feature is the common lisp, which opposes the septentrional Spanish. Focusing on the resemblance between these two Spanish varieties (the southern and the South American), it can be seen that Andalusian and Canary Spanish were instrumental as a model for the speeches that were broadcast during the conquest of the New World. This resemblance is emphasized in coastal areas where contact was continued over the years.

Features of Spanish in the Americas

Phonetic Characteristics

• S aspiration: Implosive or final (e.g., "dihco" for "disco")
• J sound aspiration: (e.g., "viahe"

Vanguards: Early 20th Century Spanish Literature

Around 1910, avant-garde movements emerged in the European artistic and literary scene. These movements rejected traditional art forms and advocated for experimentation, adopting new forms of expression.

Creationism and Surrealism

• Creationism aspired to create reality within the work itself, employing various language games to achieve this.
• Surrealism, of French origin, aimed to express emotions and subconscious thoughts.

Noucentisme: The Generation of 1914

In the second decade of the 20th century, a group of writers emerged, characterized by intellectualism, a European outlook, and a quest for pure art—an art free of ties with reality and all forms of sentimentality. This group, known as the Generation

Ancient Roman Deities and Spirits

• The Penates: Protective deities of the house and the city, famously brought by Aeneas from Troy.
• The Lares: Of Etruscan origin, these Latin and Sabine spirits represent the ancestors.
• The Manes: Spirits associated with the cult of the dead.
• The Geniuses: Protective deities of weddings and links related to the sexual character in men.
• Saturn: Related to the Greek god Cronos.
• Flora: Goddess protector of vegetation.
• Silvanus and Faunus: Silvanus is related to forests and uncut land, while Faunus is associated with the fertility of fields and livestock.
• Pales: Ancient Roman goddess protector of shepherds and flocks.
• Terminus: Patron god of boundaries and the limits between fields.

Evolution of Latin Language Terms

• Cultisms:

Romanticism

Romanticism is a cultural and political movement that originated in Germany and the United Kingdom in the late eighteenth century as a revolutionary reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and Classicism, giving importance to feeling. Its key feature is the break with classical tradition based on a stereotypical set of rules. Freedom is its constant, authentic search, which is why its revolutionary feature is unquestionable. Because Romanticism is a way of feeling and conceiving nature, life, and man himself, it is presented differently in each country, and especially where it develops, even within a nation, projecting itself differently in all the arts. It developed primarily in the first half of the nineteenth century,... Continue reading "Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Modernism and Generation of '98" »

System of Government: Republic

The Roman Republic was based on the choice of citizens who elected magistrates responsible for the organization and functioning of the city. Citizens participated in elections through assemblies:

Assemblies and Elections

• Curiae: Granted imperium to senior magistrates and resolved private matters.
• Centuries: Chose the higher magistrates and intervened in matters of war and peace.
• Tribes: Chose lower magistrates and military tribunes. The Plebeian Assembly, formed by commoners, elected the tribunes of the people who defended them.

The Candidate

The term Candidate comes from the white toga (toga candida) worn by those presenting themselves for political office.

Characteristics of Magistrates

Roman magistrates typically served... Continue reading "Government and Society in the Roman Republic" »

Theater Until 1970

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a truly revolutionary theatrical movement emerged.

Realistic Theater

This was a commercial theater that catered to a taste for realism, looking for the natural. A key author in this movement was Konstantin Stanislavski.

Political Theater

This form broke with realistic and naturalistic theater, proposing to amend society.

• Erwin Piscator (1893-1966): A German director, Piscator took theater out of the conventional setting. One of his best-known works is *The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schwejk*.
• Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956): A German dramatist, Brecht's works had a moralizing purpose, requiring the viewer to work to understand the message. A notable example is *Mother Courage and Her Children*

The Generation of '27 Poets

The Generation of '27 is formed by a group of poets who published their first works between 1920 and 1930.

Defining Characteristics

• Came from bourgeois families with a liberal spirit.
• Shared a solid literary background.
• Sought a synthesis between tradition and the avant-garde.
• Addressed universal themes.
• Used established metrical schemes while influenced by Ultraism, Creationism, and Surrealism.

Early Poetic Styles

The poetry of the Generation of '27 initially developed along two fundamental lines:

Neopopularism

Incorporation of resources and metric forms of Spanish popular poetry.

Main works:

• Gypsy Ballads by Federico García Lorca. (Opposes freedom/nature with civilization/order).
• Sailor on Land by Rafael Alberti. (Contraposition