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

Mester de Juglaría

Poetry widely popular in the Middle Ages, spread by minstrels.

Mester de Clerecía

Medieval literature composed by the clergy (men who were not necessarily priests). They wrote on religious themes.

Milagros de Nuestra Señora

Principal work of Gonzalo de Berceo, a clergyman of the Monastery of San Millán. A compilation of exempla recounting 25 miracles of the Virgin Mary, written in cuaderna vía.

Don Juan Manuel (El Conde Lucanor)

Divided into 5 parts:

• Part 1: 50 exempla (stories) told by Patronio to Count Lucanor.
• Parts 2, 3, and 4: Various sections formed by a set of proverbs with progressively deeper meaning.
• Part 5: A doctrinal treatise on religious themes.

Poema de Mio Cid: Themes & Features

• Characters: Differs from French

Roman Elegy: Features and Key Poets

Originally, the elegy was a funeral lament sung to the accompaniment of a flute. It also possesses a melancholic character, often found in elegies of amorous lament. Latin elegy adopted its sorrowful and lamenting character from Greek elegy. Formally, the typical meter of this genre is the elegiac couplet, composed of a hexameter and a pentameter. Unlike Greek elegy, Roman elegy has a predominantly subjective, erotic character, emphasizing the personal element and amorous passion.

Development, Authors, and Works: The precursors of elegiac poetry in Rome were the Neoterics. Subsequently, three great poets cultivated this genre: Tibullus, Propertius, and Ovid. All these poets developed their work in the second... Continue reading "Roman Elegy: Love, Lament, and Major Poets" »

Spanish Literature: Silver Age and Beyond

This period encompasses writers of Modernism and the Generation of '14 (Novecentismo), alongside poets from the renowned Generation of '27, including figures like Salinas, Alberti, García Lorca, Aleixandre, Guillén, Diego Alonso, and Cernuda.

Juan Ramón Jiménez: Poetic Evolution

Juan Ramón Jiménez's poetic language evolved through three distinct stages:

• Sensory Stage: Characterized by works such as Soledad Sonora (Sound of Solitude) and Diario de un poeta recién casado (Diary of a Recently Married Poet).
• Intellectual Stage: Focused on deeper thought and introspection.
• Adequate or True Stage: Exemplified by Dios deseado y deseante (God Desired and Desiring) and the beloved Platero y yo (Platero and

Characteristics of the Spanish Renaissance

The Renaissance in Spain appears with peculiar characteristics. Two factors contribute to its unique personality:

Contributing Factors

• Reign of Charles I of Spain: Symbol of brilliance, fullness, and economic prosperity.
• Reign of Philip II: Spirit of the Counter-Reformation and exercise of censorship with the Inquisition.

Stages of the Spanish Renaissance

Two main stages:

1. First Renaissance: Appearance of Neoplatonism and Erasmism. Representative: Garcilaso de la Vega.
2. Second Renaissance: Emphasis on the national and religious. Representative: Fray Luis de León.

Formal Aspects and Verse Forms

Key elements include the hendecasyllable verse, the triumphs of Garcilaso, and the creation of new stanzas:

• Terceto: 3

Carlist Proclamation: Primary Source Analysis

A) Primary Source Collection:

Pirala, a 19th-century historian, was a civil governor. A. Savoy, who had contact with the Carlists, was on their side. The document is of a public policy nature, destined for the inhabitants of Álava, and calls for their union with the Carlist side. The origins of the Carlist Wars can be traced back to before the death of Ferdinand VII. He repealed the Salic Law, which prevented women from reigning if there was a male in the line. In this way, his daughter Isabella II could reign. Carlos María Isidro, his brother, proclaimed himself king against his niece on October 5th in Bilbao, and liberal supporters of Isabella II and moderate supporters of Carlos María Isidro... Continue reading "Carlist Wars & 19th-Century Spanish Military Pronouncements" »

Spanish Literature: A 20th-Century Overview

Modernism

Ramón del Valle-Inclán

Modernist Cycle: The Mareque of Bradomin
Mythic Cycle:

• Barbaric Comedy Trilogy
• Divine Words

Farce Cycle:

• Platform for the Education of Princes
• Bohemian Lights
• Mardi Gras

Grotesque Cycle:

• Altar of Greed
• Lust and Death

Other Modernist Writers

Gabriel Miró: The Berries of the Cemetery, Our Father St. Daniel, and Bishop Leproso
Ramón Pérez de Ayala: The Leg of the Fox and The Dancers (first stage); Toroteras and Tiger Juan (second stage)
Benjamín Jarnés: Useless Professor and Folly and Nobody
Ramón Gómez de la Serna: Known for spreading the avant-garde and inventing the "greguería"

The Generation of '27

Poetry

Federico García Lorca:

• Book of Poems
• Songs
• Poem of Cante Jondo
• Gypsy

Rome: A Journey Through Time

753 BC is believed to be the founding of Rome. Roman history can be divided into three periods: the Monarchy (8th-5th century BC), the Republic, during which Rome conquered the Mediterranean, and the Empire (1st century BC - 5th century AD). Emperor Augustus initiated the Imperial period, which lasted until the 3rd-century crisis and the decline in the 4th century. In 410 AD, Rome was invaded, marking a significant turning point in the civilization's history.

Artistic and Cultural Elements

Emperor Philip's conquest incorporated Greek influences, leading to a Hellenistic culture that valued uniformity. Powerful kingdoms emerged, bringing commercial benefits to Rome, which boasted a more organized structure than Greece.... Continue reading "Ancient Rome: History, Architecture, and the Pantheon" »

Romantic Poetry

José de Espronceda. Stressed, especially for his poetry, his poems were collected in 1840 under the title Poetry. Two long poems stand out: The Student of Salamanca and The Devil World.

Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. His most important work is Rhymes, published in 1871.

• Rhymes I-XI: Theme is poetry itself, exaltation of self, and conception of women as something unattainable.
• Rhymes XII-XXIX: Deal with the fullness of love.
• Rhymes XXX-LI: Reflect the failure of love and heartbreak.
• Rhymes LI-LXXIX: Solitude, anguish, and pain.

Mariano José de Larra. Newspapers: El Duende Satírico del Día, Pobrecito Hablador.

Realism

Features of Realism

• Objective Observation
• Contemporary Ambience
• Thesis Approach
• Psychological Analysis of Characters
• Omniscient

Rosalía de Castro: Pioneer of Modern Galician Literature

Rosalía de Castro stands as a prominent exponent of Romantic literature and is considered a precursor to modern literary movements, akin to Bécquer. Her significance lies in her role as a woman during the Galician Renaissance. Born in Santiago de Compostela, she was an unmarried daughter whose character was shaped throughout her life. She very soon demonstrated her literary talent. Her major literary production began after her marriage to Manuel Murguía in 1858. She passed away in Padrón in 1885. The main themes of her work include:

• Idealization of Galicia: Exalting Galician culture and landscape.
• Social Criticism: Denouncing the social injustices faced by the people of her region.
• Existential

Infant Cycle of Rooms

SX events, relate croicas former cntar de geste. Lamba Dona Complaints I ... traditional historical epic Romance. Tem: the Dona Lambra qejas qe qe tell you do not want it, qe the have threatened, you are forced to ladies and kill the cook. structure: "I ast .. .. so skirts" Dona describes qejas infants ls Lambra on hire, collation "if it n give me ..., 2 part dialga between Dona and dn Lambra rodrigo .." alli aul dn .. "till the end. mtr: verses octasilabos assonance rhyme odd free peer-to,-e,-a and then all-in.Fig ret: alliteration (m) (r), metaphor lin8 asat 10 (for shame cebarian place and its hawks inside my loft), anaphora lin 4 i 5 "the avian qe me to save xhicos of doñasancha), parallel lin 9i 11 (and its cebarian... Continue reading "Medieval Epic Romances: Infant Cycle, Tears, and Revenge" »