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

Poema del Mio Cid

An epic poem recounting the story of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, El Cid, a Castilian nobleman of the 11th century. The poem details the loss and recovery of the Cid's honor after being unjustly banished by King Alfonso VI. It is divided into three parts:

Song of the Exile

The poem begins with the Cid and his subjects leaving their land. In exile, he engages in battles against both Arabs and Christians. This section portrays him as a warrior hero with great humanity.

Song of the Marriage

After several victories, the Cid conquers Valencia. He sends a share of the spoils to King Alfonso VI, who forgives him and arranges the marriage of the Cid's daughters to the Heirs of Carrion.

Song of the Afrenta of Corpes

The Heirs of Carrion, accused... Continue reading "Medieval Spanish Literature: El Cid, Miracles, Love, and More" »

Social and Historical Context of the 1920s

The literature of the 1920s in Buenos Aires was disseminated and discussed, with a clear distinction made before the public. Writers were grouped into two main streams:

Florida Group

(Street of leisure) This group looked towards Europe and the aesthetic developments of the postwar period.

Boedo Group

(Street factory) This group looked towards Russia and embraced the dream of universal revolution.

Buenos Aires in 1920

The city rapidly transformed into a modern setting due to heavy immigration, which revolutionized society, especially the porteña population. The majority of immigrants were Spanish and Italian, but there were also other nationalities. Immigrants and their children benefited from increased literacy... Continue reading "1920s Buenos Aires: Literary Movements, Youth, and Borges' Symbols" »

Rafael Alberti: Life and Legacy

Rafael Alberti Biography: Born in El Puerto de Santa María, he moved to Madrid in 1917. He received the National Prize for Literature for his book of poetry, Marinero en tierra (1924). Alberti left Spain at the end of the Civil War, subsequently living in Paris, Argentina, and Rome.

Return from Exile

On April 27, 1977, after thirty-eight years of exile—having spent time in Argentina and Italy—Rafael Alberti returned to Spain. His first words upon leaving the plane were: "I left with a closed fist and come back with an open hand in sign of harmony between all the Spanish."

His legendary life is tied to nearly a century of cultural, political, and social events in Spain. His affiliations and contributions include:... Continue reading "Rafael Alberti: Biography, Exile, and Poetic Stages" »

Catalan Language Connectors

Connectors are words or phrases that link parts of a sentence or text, establishing relationships between them. They can be categorized by their function:

• Copulative: and, nor
• Disjunctive: or, or
• Distributive: neither...nor, now...now, either...or, now...as
• Adversative: but, yet, while, even so, however
• Illative: so, therefore, accordingly
• Continuative: moreover, and, still, even
• Explanatory: i.e., that is, I mean

Enric Valor: A Literary and Linguistic Legacy

In the post-war period, the figure of Enric Valor emerged prominently. His first novel, The Ambition of Alejo, challenged the alarming realism prevalent in post-war literature. The action of this novel is set amidst beautiful and perfectly described landscapes.

During... Continue reading "Catalan Language Essentials: Grammar, Dialects, and Enric Valor's Contributions" »

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Major Literary Works

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a pivotal figure in Spanish literature. His diverse body of work includes:

• The Pastoral Novel: La Galatea.
• The Byzantine Novel: Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (The Labors of Persiles and Sigismunda).
• The Exemplary Novels (Novelas ejemplares): A collection of 12 short stories written in the Italian style. These stories, presented as "exemplary examples for moral life," were often a subtle way to bypass censors.

Categorization of Exemplary Novels

The Exemplary Novels can be broadly categorized:

• Realistic (Actual or Real): These stories better represent the reality of the time. A key example is Rinconete y Cortadillo.
• Idealized: These are more fantastic in nature.

Pre-Theater 1936: Trends and Groups

The different groups and trends in the theater prior to 1936 are:

1. Bourgeois Comedy

Jacinto Benavente was its most representative author. He offered a theater with a greater interest in conversational dialogue and a more realistic tone.

The characters were bourgeois, and the topics covered were typical conflicts such as unrequited love and infidelity.

Among his works are "La Gobernadora" (The Housekeeper) and "Lo Inquilino" (The Unloved), a kind of theater that develops a violent world of uncontrolled passions for urban education.

2. Poetic Theater

It arises from modernism. It is a scene of pure evasion that retrieves historical and legendary themes.

Eduardo Marquina highlights "Las Hijas del Cid" (The Daughters... Continue reading "Spanish Theater Trends Before 1936: Key Playwrights & Movements" »

Understanding Literary Concepts and Spanish Postwar Novel

Key Literary Definitions

• Context: The set of words that precede or follow a text word or phrase, influencing its meaning.
• Location: The set of circumstances in which a language message is issued, affecting the determination of its meaning.

The Spanish Novel: Evolution and Characteristics

The novel is the literary genre that has most stood out in recent decades. Spanish narrators were divided into two groups: those in exile and those on the mainland. Among the authors in exile, the predominant theme was the Civil War and its aftermath. The novel evolves over decades, similar to the progression of other genres, with authors like Miguel Delibes and Carmen Martín Gaite.

The Novel in the 1940s

The... Continue reading "Spanish Novel Evolution: Postwar Eras and Literary Forms" »

Literary Language

Literary use of language: In the poetic function, literary language dominates, influencing both the content and its expression.

Characteristic Features

They can be grouped into two categories:

1. Deviation from the norm: A departure from normal language use.
2. Connotative or suggestive language: Language that suggests meanings through subjective associations, prevalent in lyrical poetry via metaphors or symbols.

Verse and Prose

Literary works are presented in two rhythmic forms: verse and prose. Verse adheres to a fixed rhythmic structure, while prose is not subject to a specific pattern.

Literary Genres

Lyric

The author expresses their subjectivity, feelings, or thoughts in the first person. It is often expressed in verse and includes original... Continue reading "Literary Language, Genres, and Forms" »

Galician New Narrative: 1960s-1970s

A heterogeneous group of authors and works from the 1960s and 1970s, including Gonzalo Rodríguez Mourullo, Xosé Luis Méndez Ferrín, Carlos Casares, and Xosé María Queizán, provided a thorough review of the trends of the preceding narrative.

Common Features

The authors, often with university degrees, were closely linked to nationalist ideology and knowledgeable about European narrative trends.

Narrator

Often a first-person narrator, focusing on introspection or detailed examination.

Protagonist

Often appears uprooted and overwhelmed by their own conscience or unknown circumstances.

Space

Becomes indefinite and intangible, contrasting with specific, known locations. Rural space dominates, acquiring symbolic importance... Continue reading "Galician New Narrative: Authors & Features (60s-70s)" »

The Hispanization Process and Linguistic Roots

American Spanish refers to the variety of Castilian spoken by inhabitants of various American countries. Its origins trace back to the Hispanization process that commenced in 1492 with the discovery of America. Key factors shaping the linguistic reality of American Spanish include the Castilian substrate, the influence of indigenous languages, and the imposition of a Castilian language that was already highly dialectalized.

Regional Variations: Highland vs. Lowland Spanish

American Spanish is broadly divided into two main dialectal areas: highland (cold regions, where Castilian settlers predominated) and lowland (hot regions, where Andalusian settlers predominated). In highland Spanish, vowels are... Continue reading "American Spanish: Origins, Features, and Linguistic Identity" »