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

Theory of Criticism

He believes that criticism should be descriptive (tries to describe), interpretative (tries to give the meaning), and objective. A criticism that engages the text directly without personal or historical influences, trying not to add anything of your own personality.

If I form the subject, it will be subjective. So it has to form itself. The critic has not to form the judgment, but it can’t form itself. So knowing that the critic, at the end, is the one able to form the judgment, he has to do it objectively, giving the appearance that it was formed itself.

The critic should “communicate first knowledge and let his own judgment pass along with it”. He assumes it is impossible that your judgment is not yours, but don’t... Continue reading "Objective Literary Criticism: Theory, History, and Race" »

The Distinctive Title of Tristram Shandy

A Parody of Traditional Novel Titling

The title of Tristram Shandy parodies the tradition of titling novels like ‘Of Lives and Adventures’. The novel’s title, in which a romance given name is undercut by a commonplace, even comic or satirical, surname, had other kinds of precedent in recent fiction.

The Oxymoronic Nature of the Title

The title itself is an oxymoron: a rough summary, in its satirical incongruity, of the mode of writing known as anti-romance or comic romance.

Sterne's Experimental Prose and Comic Romance

Instability of 18th-Century Narrative Terminology

The instability of terminology for long fictions during Sterne’s lifetime was one symptom of the experimentalism of prose narrative during... Continue reading "Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy: Satire and Narrative Form" »

Troy was a city situated in the far northwest of the region known as Asia Minor, now known as Anatolia in modern Turkey, near the southwest mouth of the Dardanelles Strait and northwest of Mount Ida. There were up to 20 cities around Troy. The present-day location is known as Hissarlik. It was the setting of the Trojan War described in the Greek Epic Cycle, in particular in The Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Homer is a master of narrative. He is the greatest author that has ever lived. His work is classical, but he had some things that are incredibly modern.

The Troy of Homer is Troy 7. It came to a violent end around 1270 BC; houses were burnt, and the city was sacked. The king of Troy was Priam (non-Greek). He was the... Continue reading "The Historical Significance of Troy in Greek Mythology" »

Homer: Author of Ancient Epics

Homer is the name ascribed by the Ancient Greeks to the semi-legendary author of the two epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey, central works of Greek literature. Many accounts of Homer’s life circulated in classical antiquity, the most widespread being that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of modern-day Turkey. However, modern scholarly consensus holds that these traditions lack historical value.

The Homeric Question & Authorship

The Homeric Question—by whom, when, where, and under what circumstances The Iliad and The Odyssey were composed—continues to be debated. Broadly speaking, modern scholarly opinion on the authorship issue falls into two main camps. One group holds that most of The Iliad... Continue reading "Homer's Enduring Legacy: Unraveling the Epic Poet" »

Literary Elements Defined

Key Literary Terms

• Plot: The main events and sequence of a story.
• Setting: The time and place in which the action of a story occurs.
• Foreshadowing: Hints or clues about what is going to happen later in the story.
• Outcome: The resolution or ending of the story.
• Tone: The author's attitude toward the subject or audience, influencing how the reader perceives the story.
• Imagery: Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating mental images for the reader.

Beowulf: An Epic Poem Analysis

Beowulf Overview

• Original Language: Written in Old English (Anglo-Saxon language).
• Notable Translation: Translated by Francis Gummere in 1910.
• Author: Unknown.

Literary Elements in Beowulf

• Tone in Beowulf

  The poet is generally enthusiastic about

Gulliver's Travels: Publication History

• Swift most probably had a transcribed copy of the text by the end of 1725. To keep the holograph safe (and perhaps to obscure his authorship) Swift had an additional copy made.
• This latter manuscript copy (made by an amanuensis) was sent to the printer in 1726 and was used to set the text of Gulliver's Travels.
• Swift set out for London from Dublin on 6 March 1726, bringing with him the copy for the printer. Shortly afterwards, Charles Ford arrived with the holograph.
• An approach to the publisher Benjamin Motte seems to have been made around 8 August by means of a letter from “Richard Sympson.”
• The letter was accompanied by ‘about a fourth part’ of the text of Gulliver's Travels as a sample.
• All materials

Authors and Works of the 16th Century

Peter Seraph: Poet and painter, his date of birth is unknown, and it is known he died around 1566. His poetry still presents points of contact with March. However, he used proper poetic forms of the Renaissance, such as the sonnet, and he cites poets of Greek and Latin classics (Homer, Virgil, and Ovid) and two Italian dolce stil nuovo poets (Dante and Petrarch) plus March. He also wrote in Catalan.

18th Century Authors

Francesc Vicent Garcia: He is considered one of the most outstanding authors of three centuries. Known as the Rector of Vallfogona, he was born in Tortosa and died in Vallfogona. His reputation is based on one aspect of his work: that which emphasizes a thick, deliberately exaggerated humor,... Continue reading "Authors and Literary Movements: 16th to 19th Century" »

Numbers Written Out in English

Numbers 1 to 30

1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
20. Twenty
21. Twenty-one
22. Twenty-two
23. Twenty-three
24. Twenty-four
25. Twenty-five
26. Twenty-six
27. Twenty-seven
28. Twenty-eight
29. Twenty-nine
30. Thirty

Numbers by Tens (40-100)

• Forty
• Fifty
• Sixty
• Seventy
• Eighty
• Ninety
• One hundred

Numbers 101 to 150

• One hundred and one
• One hundred and two
• One hundred and three
• One hundred and four
• One hundred and five
• One hundred and six
• One hundred and seven
• One hundred and eight
• One hundred and nine
• One hundred and ten
• One hundred and eleven
• One hundred and twelve
• One hundred and thirteen
• One hundred and fourteen
• One hundred and fifteen
• One hundred and sixteen
• One hundred and seventeen
• One hundred and eighteen
• One hundred and

Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. He was likely born on September 29, 1547, in Alcalá de Henares and died on April 22, 1616, in Madrid. He was buried on April 23, and this date is popularly known as the date of his death. He is considered the greatest figure in Spanish literature. He is universally known, especially because he wrote *The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha*, which many critics have described as the first modern novel and one of the best works of world literature. He was given the nickname "Prince of Wits."

Baroque Poetry

Baroque poets demonstrate an extraordinary literary quality in sonnets, tenths, *letrillas*, *silvas*, *romances*, etc. Notable authors include... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Key Authors and Movements" »

The Golden Century: An Introduction

The Golden Century (Siglo de Oro) refers to a period in Castilian literature spanning two centuries and two distinct stages.

The Renaissance (16th Century)

The Renaissance (16th century) is a broad cultural movement that transformed European life during the 16th century. It is known for the continuation, high regard, or resurgence of Classical Greek and Latin culture.

Humanists

Humanists were individuals dedicated to the study of the humanities, who proposed and restored Classical ideals:

• Study of Greek and Latin classical languages.
• Enthusiastic appraisal of the world and knowledge of the human being.

For humanists:

• The world is no longer just a place to step to the other life, but a place of beauty and worth to