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

Literature: Definition and Characteristics

Literature is composed of a set of fictitious or imaginary texts that contrast with non-fictional accounts of real events that aim to record. In a literary text, not only what you say is important, but also how you say it. Literature fundamentally possesses two key characteristics: fiction and a particular use of language that creates a unique effect.

Readers and the Literary Canon

The literary canon is the set of literary texts that are considered significant. This depends on aesthetic taste and ideas that are prevalent at a given time. The canon changes over time.

Fiction's Role in Literature

When it comes to literature, fiction always intervenes. Even when based on facts, the writer imagines, interprets,... Continue reading "Literature's Core: Genres, Book History, and Language Evolution" »

Expository Writing: Brochure Features

Expository writing is used to raise awareness about an issue of general interest.

Features:

• Aims to inform, explain, convince, and suggest solutions.
• Presents information in a clear, direct, and attractive way.
• The content is displayed following a logical, hierarchical, and coherent order.
• The receptor recognizes authority on a certain topic.
• The brochure is a work of collective effort.
• Uses present tense and standard language.

Resources: Typographical Brands

Explanatory texts have a formal aspect, using various types of fonts and letters, hyphens, periods, colors, numbers, underscores, captions, or titles. These brands have two functions:

• Specify the order.
• Highlight important information.

Schema: Key Connectors for

Cicero's Works

Treaties of Rhetoric

Cicero wrote The Speaker, a three-book work featuring Licinius Crassus and Mark Antony, renowned speakers of the 2nd century BC. Through these characters and two others, Cicero explains the qualities of a good orator. The book proposes that all speeches should be divided into distinct parts:

• Exordium: The introduction of the topic, where the speaker aims to gain public sympathy.
• Exposition or Narration: Presentation of the facts relevant to the speech.
• Argumentation: The speaker provides arguments to justify their intervention or attack the opponent.
• Conclusion or Peroration: A final summary where the speaker reiterates their main points and seeks to persuade the audience.

Cicero also wrote several dialogues, notably... Continue reading "Cicero's Works: Rhetoric, Politics, Philosophy, and More" »

The Roman Republic: Government and Structure

The Roman Republic was characterized by a republican system of government. Citizens elected a number of magistrates responsible for different aspects of the city's organization and functioning. This system included:

Citizen Assemblies (Comitia)

• Comitia Curiata: Dating back to the monarchical era.
• Comitia Centuriata: Based on the division of citizens into 193 centuries (from the time of Servius Tullius). This assembly elected senior magistrates and was involved in matters of peace and war.
• Comitia Tributa: Based on the grouping of citizens into 35 tribes. This assembly elected lower magistrates and military tribunes.

Senior Magistrates

Senior magistrates shared three key characteristics: annuity, collegiality,... Continue reading "Roman Republic Government & Italica's History" »

Spanish Theater in the Early 20th Century

Early 20th-century Europe was characterized by a genuine renewal in both theatrical themes and their dramatic treatment. However, the situation in Spain differed significantly, where a clear renewal was achieved by only a few authors. The reasons for this disparity included:

• Producers were unwilling to invest in works that were not guaranteed success.
• Actors demanded works written specifically for their talents, preferring the declamatory style of 19th-century high comedy.
• The public wanted to see their own problems reflected in the works.

1. Modern Drama

This genre unsuccessfully attempted to revive the ideals of Golden Age drama, especially regarding historical themes. Scenery featured elaborate stage effects... Continue reading "Spanish Theater Renewal: Early 20th Century Dramatists" »

Eisner: A Chivalric Author

Eisner was born in Valencia in 1410 and died in 1465. A noble knight of his time, he was respected by masters in the exercise of arms. He was a great reader and was well-informed of the developments of the time. He brought a cheerful and fun tone to his work, introducing humor, irony, and caricature into chivalric novels. He is the author of the most important novel in the history of Catalan literature. Years later, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes would ridicule and mock chivalric novels.

Curial e Guelph: A Hero's Journey

This is a story of love and arms. The novel presents the process of a hero's development, from humble origins until he achieves the recognition, fame, and honor that belong to a knight. Curial is... Continue reading "The Rise of the Catalan Chivalric Novel" »

Key Catalan Authors and Valencian Culture

Joan Francesc Mira (Valencia, 1939) is the author of several novels and numerous studies in anthropology. Notable works include The Valencian Land (1978), Culture, Language, Nation (1987), and Critique of Pure Nation (1984), which reflects on the concept of nation, the Valencian national character, and its consequences.

Gustavus Munoz (Valencia, 1951) is an economist, essayist, and translator. He is the chief of the magazine and coordinator of the trial Espill magazine characters. He has published essays such as Speeches: Between Culture and Politics (1998), At the Beginning of a Century: A Diary of Reflections (2002), and Heritage of an Era (2006).

Isabel-Clara Simó (Alcoy, 1943) is an author of several... Continue reading "Key Catalan Authors: Insights into Valencian Culture" »

Joan Salvat-Papasseit (1894-1924)

Joan Salvat-Papasseit was born into a humble, proletarian family. He theorized about what kind of poet he wanted to be and created magazines. He was a supporter of last-minute avant-gardism and wrote what he called futurist manifestos, but they were nothing more than a reaction to the Noucentista poetry of his time. Very close to the avant-garde in his first books of poems, such as "Poems in Hertz Waves" and "Irradiator, Harbor, and Seagulls," he delighted in the new expressive resources and the very communicative effectiveness he obtained: calligrams, words of freedom, and Cubist composition. But increasingly, he chose a poem that included the social and the loving. He knew how to extract the lyrical and sensual.... Continue reading "Catalan Poets and Avant-Garde Movements: A Deep Dive" »

Understanding Scientific Description

The scientific description rigorously reports the characteristic features of objects, beings, phenomena, and processes.

Key Features of Scientific Description

• Clarity and Accuracy: Ensures information is precise and easy to understand.
• Objectivity: Presents reality without bias, avoiding personal opinions or interpretations.
• Rigor and Verifiability: Features must be updated and verifiable through empirical evidence.

Types of Scientific Description

• Static: Presents a fixed and stable reality.
• Dynamic: Presents a phenomenon in process or evolution.

Essential Grammar Concepts

The Subject in Sentences

The subject is a function of the nominal group. It always agrees with the verb in number and person.

Impersonal Sentences

Features of Baroque Theater

Baroque theater emphasized several key elements:

• Acts: Plays were structured with three, four, or five acts, without a fixed form.
• Language and Versification: Verse was used exclusively as a form of dramatic expression, discarding prose.
• The Dramatic Unities: (Time, Place, Action). According to Lope de Vega, the action should not be limited to twenty-four hours in one place, but to its own space and time.
• The Mix of Comedy and Tragedy: Works blended comedy and tragedy, mirroring real life.
• Decorum: Respect for poetic decorum was linked to the desire for naturalness, so each character must act and speak as befits their class.

Characters

• The King: Who may be old and wise, or young and arrogant.
• The Powerful: Noble and superb,