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

Luis de Góngora (1561-1627)

Luis de Góngora wrote both popular poems and cultos (cultured) ones. He is considered the greatest exponent of Culteranismo, a style that pursues formal beauty through the sound of words and an abundance of stylistic resources. His sonnets cover topics like love, carpe diem, or moral issues. He also used satire and letrillas (short poems) to criticize other writers of his time. His popular romances (ballads) are cheerful, lively, and have a mocking tone.

Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645)

Francisco de Quevedo is the leading exponent of Conceptismo, a style characterized by conveying many ideas concisely. This involves the frequent use of puns, clever associations, antitheses, and striking images. He is one of the best... Continue reading "Spanish Baroque Literature: Góngora, Quevedo & Lazarillo" »

Creationism: Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio (1900-1930) was committed to the group from a very young age. He was never independent. He studied sports in Vigo and died of tuberculosis.

He published only one book of poems, De catro a catro (1928), although others were published posthumously. He also authored, with Álvaro Cebreiro, the manifesto Máis alá! (1922). De catro a catro is one of the most original works of contemporary Portuguese poetry. It is composed of nineteen poems. His technique reflects the poetic avant-garde influence of creationist Vicente Huidobro, who conceived the poem as a succession of images. Other traits of Manuel Antonio are: free verse, the technique of calligram, the use of foreign vocabulary, irony, and humorous games.... Continue reading "Galician Poetry and Culture: Post-War Repression and Literary Movements" »

Literary Genres: Mimesis and Beyond

Mimesis refers to imitation, encompassing both the representation of reality and the emulation of classical forms. There are three primary models: lyrical, dramatic, and narrative.

Narrative Genre

Narrative genres include epics in verse, which often tell the story of a hero. A prominent narrative form is the novel, characterized by its totalizing intention and extensive fictional plot spanning time and place. Sub-genres include:

• Cavalry novels
• Picaresque novels
• Realistic novels
• Psychological novels
• Detective novels

Novellas and short stories are shorter and less complex forms.

The Short Story (Cuento)

A short story is brief, with a limited number of characters, concentrated in its focus, simple, and often traditional.... Continue reading "Understanding Literary Genres: Mimesis, Narrative, Lyrical, and Theatrical" »

Lope de Vega: Life and Major Works

Major Works

• Swashbuckling Comedy: The Lady Loggerhead
• Discreet Love
• Palatine Comedies: The Dog in the Manger
• Biblical Comedies: The Work of Jacob
• Plays of Saints: Good Guard
• Mythological Comedies: The Legend of Perseus
• Comedy Series: Peribañez and the Commander of Ocaña
• Tragedies: The Knight of Olmedo, Punishment Without Revenge
• Court Theater: Love Love

Source Ovejuna

It raises the open confrontation between a man who abuses his power and the people of Fuente Ovejuna. The men show passivity in the attitude of the commander, which induces Laurencia to act.

The Gentleman from Olmedo

Based on a true story (the murder of a gentleman born in 1532 occurred on the road to Medina Olmedo). The protagonist, Don Alonso, senses his... Continue reading "Lope de Vega: Life, Works, and Theatrical Innovations" »

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:

Don Quixote of La Mancha: An Analysis

Editions of the Work

The work is published in two parts:

• Part 1: Appeared in 1605 with the title The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. It consists of a prologue, poems, burlesques, and 52 initial and final chapters.
• Part 2: Grouped and published in 1615 with a change in the title: The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. It consists of a prologue and 74 chapters.

In 1614, the second volume of The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha appeared, signed by Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda. In the foreword to this insulting false Quixote, Cervantes replied in the preface of the second part of his book and included, within the fiction itself, references to the falsity of Avellaneda's novel.... Continue reading "Don Quixote of La Mancha: Editions, Themes, and Narrative Structure" »