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

General Characteristics of Literary Modernism

Modernism in literature emerged in the late nineteenth century, roughly between 1880 and 1914.

It is a pivotal literary movement, often associated with the work of Rubén Darío, particularly his seminal text, Azul..., published in 1888 in Chile.

Modernism stands in opposition to Realism, drawing its linguistic and aesthetic foundation from two major lyrical movements of the second half of the nineteenth century:

• Parnassianism: It is a literary school that adheres strictly to the principle of "art for art's sake," featuring poetry based on exotic themes and elaborated in meticulous detail.
• Symbolism: This aesthetic movement encouraged writers to express their ideas, feelings, and values implicitly through

Characteristics of Romanticism

Romanticism is a cultural movement that opposes the principles of the Enlightenment.

• Rejection of reason in favor of imagination.
• An idealistic vision of humanity, driving the quest for freedom.
• A search for the exotic and distant as a form of escapism from reality.
• Interest in tradition and the recovery of legends.
• A turn towards the irrational and mysterious.

In Literature

• Rejection of neoclassical precepts.
• Defense of metric freedom and the mixing of characters and literary genres.

Literary Themes

• Desperate and impossible love.
• Ruins as a symbol of the passage of time.
• Anxiety and the desire for freedom from rules.
• Nature as a reflection of the poet's feelings.
• Death as an end to anguish.
• Disillusionment with ideals.
• Destiny

Lyrical Learned Catalan

Provence emerged in troubadour poetry, where a lyrical character was created by known authors. Their compositions for song were released by the minstrels. The troubadours created a fine art that was difficult: "The verse was based on the number of syllables and ought to be strictly consonant rhyme."

Genres of Provençal Poetry

• Cansó: Composition of loving nature, always from male to female, reflecting feudal ideology. Love relationships are treated as feudal relations between lord and vassal.
• Sirventes: Was employed as an expression of anger, personal attack...

The Concept of Courtly Love

Like the troubadours, who were intimately linked with the courts, they had a decisive influence on their work. Courtesy, in opposition... Continue reading "Troubadour Poetry: Catalan, Galician-Portuguese, Arabic & Hebrew Lyrics" »

Literary Genres

The different types of works are different literary genres.

Lyric

Lindas are roses, and flowers are prettier, my loves.

Epic or Narrative

Long ago, in a land far away, lived a giraffe of average height but so sloppy that once it came out of the jungle and got lost.

Drama or Theatre

Maria, do you go home? Henry: My house is in the neighborhood longer.

Lyrical Genre

The lyric generally groups the texts composed in verse in which the author transmits firsthand their feelings and emotions.

Example: Who do I tell my complaints to, my beautiful love? Whom will I confide my complaints to if it is not you?

The Epic or Narrative Genre

The epic or narrative works together where there is a narrator who recounts some fictional facts featuring characters.... Continue reading "Understanding Literary and Grammatical Genres" »

Miguel Hernández (1910-1942)

Four stages are established in his poetry:

• a) A stage characterized by Baroque-tone poetry.
• b) In 1936, he published "El rayo que no cesa" ("The Unending Lightning").
• c) During the war, a battle poetry that seeks to serve the Republican cause and published "Viento del pueblo" ("Wind of the People"). These are poems that mourn the death of Lorca. Miguel Hernández: "Man is a hunter."
• d) Naked and deep poetry.

1940s: Poetry and Literary Magazines

Poetry developed around three magazines: "Escorial," "Garcilaso," and "Espadaña."

• "Escorial": Poets of the Generation of '36 met, opting for intimate poetry with traditional lyrical themes: love, death, land, and landscape.
• "Garcilaso": Officially supported the Franco regime, consolidating

The Majorcan School of Poetry (1840–1950)

The Majorcan School covers a period from 1840 to 1950, featuring prominent teachers such as Joan Alcover and especially Miquel Costa i Llobera. It is now understood that the Majorcan School represents a very specific poetic power, including the contributions of two generations of writers. These poets, grouped in the so-called Majorcan School, presented common thematic and stylistic features. Although contemporary with modernist aesthetics, their work is characterized by formal and stylistic perfection, which led them to become models for Noucentiste poets to imitate.

Core Features of the Majorcan School

• Will of formal perfection: A dedication to technical mastery.
• Nationalism: A traditionalist return

The end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939 left a bleak cultural outlook: death, exile, humiliation, or muted expression. This year marked, in practice, a "year zero" for poetry in Spain. Federico García Lorca and Antonio Machado were dead, and much of the Generation of '27 was in exile. The Silver Age of Spanish literature had reached its tragic end.

Between 1939 and 1975, Spain lived under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The post-war period was marked by international isolation and severe political repression. Poets remaining in Spain either aligned with the ideology and aesthetics of the victors (known as Poesía Arraigada or "Rooted Poetry") or maintained an internal exile (Poesía Desarraigada or "Uprooted Poetry").

The 1950s saw an... Continue reading "Spanish Poetry After the Civil War: Franco Era to Transition" »

Medieval Catalan Literary Developments

13th Century Foundations

Organyà Homilies

The first quarter of the 13th century saw the retention of text in the Organyà Homilies (sermons of the parish of Organyà) explaining the gospel for the town. During the reign of James I (1213–1276), the Crown of Aragon was consolidating, and the Kingdom of Valencia was founded. The compilation of charters of Valencia dates to 1261. The former Crown of Aragon utilized two languages: Catalan and Aragonese.

14th Century Shifts and Humanism

Francis Eiximenis

Towards the end of the fourteenth century, new ideas from Italy began to influence life, bringing a new worldview and addressing vices. This new movement, called humanism, saw the birth of **Francis Eiximenis**... Continue reading "Catalan Literature Milestones: 13th to 15th Centuries" »

The Religious Lyric: Fray Luis, San Juan, and Santa Teresa

Two Schools of Thought

School of Salamanca: Focused on religious, moral, and philosophical issues, with a clear and simple style. Content is prioritized over form. Fray Luis de Leon is its primary representative.

Seville School: Characterized by a rhetorical style full of literary devices. Form is prioritized over content. The chief representative is Fernando de Herrera, who was in love with Leonor de Milan (platonic). Juan de Mal Lara influenced Fernando de Herrera.

Fray Luis de Leon

Fray Luis de Leon was closely linked to Salamanca, where he taught at the University. In his poems, he learned to synthesize the essence of the Christian Renaissance. His poetry is not extensive. The central... Continue reading "Religious Lyric Poetry: Fray Luis, San Juan, Santa Teresa" »

Critics lack a clear definition for the concepts of "Boom" and "Post-Boom" in Latin American literature. For some authors, the "Boom" signifies serious postmodernism. This identification is justified because both Euro-American modernist literature and the Latin American Boom exhibit a common rejection of traditional realistic style.

The most important feature of the Post-Boom is its return to storytelling and narrative. However, the relationship between these two pairs of terms (Boom/Post-Boom and Modern/Postmodern) is not identical: the term "postmodern" refers specifically to a particular genre—the literary narrative—and a region, particularly Latin America.

Most critics admit no clear dates or precise limits for these movements. One can... Continue reading "Latin American Narrative: Boom, Post-Boom, and The House of the Spirits" »