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

The Evolution of Languages in Spain

Articulation:

• Bilabial: p, b, m
• Labiodental: f
• Interdental: z
• Dental: t, d
• Alveolar: s, l, r, n
• Palatal: c
• Velar: k, g, j

Articulatory Section Modification:

• Occlusive: p, b, t, d, k, g
• Fricatives: f, z, s, y, j
• Affricates: c
• Lateral: L
• Vibrant: r
• Nasal: n, m

Vowel Sounds:

• Central, Open: a
• Anterior, Middle: e
• Above, Closed: i
• Later, Media: o
• Back, Close: o

Sonority:

• Sonorous: b, d, g, m, n, l, r
• Deaf: k, c, d, f, j, p, s, t, z

1. Pre-Roman Languages

Before the advent of different languages, Latin was spoken in the Iberian Peninsula. With the invasions came different languages. With Romanization, these languages, except Euskera (Basque), were disappearing.

2. Romanization Process

A process of Romanization arose. When the Romans arrived,... Continue reading "Evolution of Languages in Spain: A Historical Perspective" »

Baroque Comedy: Key Features

The Golden Age of Spanish Theater

The Golden Age of Spanish literature is synonymous with "play." Lope de Vega, a central figure of this era, championed the principle of artistic freedom. He refused to submit to the rigid rules of classical theater and rejected the three dramatic unities (time, place, and action).

• Events could unfold in different times and places.
• Plays were divided into three acts, with time jumps between acts.

Diverse Themes and Conflicts

Baroque comedies drew inspiration from various sources, including literary tradition, Spanish or universal history, the lives of saints, and social customs. Most conflicts revolved around two central themes:

• Love: The primary catalyst for dramatic tension.
• Honor: Individuals

Machado and Lorca: A Comparative Analysis

Antonio Machado: Lyricism and Modernist Expression

Machado: We are presented with a lyrical composition expressing the author's subjective world, encompassing feelings, sensations, and personal expressions. This expression is structured in verse, incorporating rhyme and rhythmic features. (Characterization as a literary genre, subgenre, is: verse or prose). The author is Antonio Machado, known for his work....

General Characteristics of Modernism in Machado's Work:

• Beauty as an aesthetic and vital principle: The poet aims to transform life into art.
• Creation of a literature of the senses.
• Revival of forms like the Alexandrian or eneasílabo verse.
• Embrace of the bizarre as beautiful.
• Exploration of melancholy

Modern Catalan Literature: 16th to 18th Centuries

Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, Catalan literature experienced negative changes in its evolution. This period led to a gradual loss of national freedoms under increasingly centralized rule.

The Duality of Catalan Literature (16th–18th C.)

A significant duality occurred between serious literature and popular literature:

• Serious Literature: Experienced a major setback. However, Catalan literature of these centuries reflects the same major periods found across Europe.
• Popular Literature: Maintained its strength because the Catalan language remained the only one spoken and heard, keeping it close to the Catalan people.

Serious Literature Movements

The three main movements of this stage... Continue reading "Literary Movements in Catalan Culture (16th–18th Century)" »

The Purpose of Royal Chronicles

The chronicles of the kings were dictated by the monarchs themselves. Their primary goal was **propaganda**: showing readers and listeners the great deeds of the monarchs, justifying military actions and policies, and serving as an example of nobility and heroism.

Jordi de Sant Jordi: Poetic Language and the Poem "Prisoner"

Jordi de Sant Jordi was a poet of love poetry, and his songs of farewell and enyorament (longing) are distinguished by their sensitivity and melancholy. The poem "Prisoner" presents a realistic and personal character, marking a departure from traditional troubadouresque topics.

The Two Major Italian Poets

Dante Alighieri and Petrarch.

Ausias March: Poet-Philosopher and Love Philosophy

The concept... Continue reading "Catalan Literary Figures: March, Metge, and the Rise of Humanism" »

Spanish Courtly Song Tradition (Cancioneros)

The theme songs, or courtly lyrics, represent diverse compositions by poets associated with the royal court, compiled in comprehensive anthologies known as cancioneros. These works mark a shift where Castilian Spanish replaced Galician-Portuguese as the dominant language for lyric poetry. The most significant collections include:

• Cancionero de Baena
• Cancionero de Estúñiga
• Cancionero de Palacio

Common Themes in Cancionero Poetry

• Courtly Love: Describes the suffering endured by a knight or poet due to separation from his beloved, who is typically a married lady of higher social standing.
• Satire: Includes social commentary (e.g., the allegorical Dance of Death) and political criticism, often targeting members

The Ballad

Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, and it remains relevant today. This is a wide range of compositions called romance epics, with an unspecified number of eight-syllable verses with rhyme and assonance in pairs. Present forms and traditional themes are compiled by the people and passed on orally from father to son.

Origin and Transmission

There are several theories:

• The traditionalist theory states that they come from the songs of minstrels, repeated gestas. The favorite parts, isolated by the public from singing, and the verse romance come from the division of the epic verse into two parts.
• The individualistic theory argues that the ballads were composed by anonymous authors, just like any other poetry. In favor of this thesis

Lazarillo de Tormes: Author, Publication, and Context

The original title of this seminal work is "The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities."

This book first appeared in 1554, published simultaneously in three different editions. Notably, none of these editions revealed the author's name. The anonymous nature of the work is often attributed to its harsh social criticism, particularly against the clergy.

Some scholars have suggested that its author might have been a reformer influenced by Erasmus. The exact date of the book's writing also remains unknown.

Despite its initial success, Lazarillo de Tormes was banned in 1559 and was not reissued completely until the nineteenth century.

Structure of the Work

The book is written... Continue reading "Lazarillo de Tormes: Analysis, Plot, and Literary Impact" »

Ovid's Poetic Evolution and Context

Ovid was a generation after Virgil, meaning the social situation was significantly different; the Augustan Pax (or Pax Romana) was a reality. Ovid's career demonstrates a clear poetic evolution, typically divided into three major blocks:

1. Block 1: Love Elegy and Didactic Poetry

   This block focuses on love elegy, retrieving the language, situations, and history of Latin elegy and playing with them creatively. Ovid often plays with conventions, forcing changes and new approaches, making the work less naturalistic than earlier elegists.

   • Amores: Love elegy, focusing on the ode to love.
   • Heroides: Letters from heroines to their lovers, combining epistolography with the theme of love, thereby creating a new genre.
   • Ars Amatoria:

Jorge Manrique's Couplets: An Analysis

Metrics:

The *copla manriqueña*, or Manriquean stanza, uses a twelve-verse structure, divided into two sextuplets. These lines are *pie quebrado*, meaning broken-foot. The verses are octosyllabic, except for the third and sixth, which are tetrasyllabic. The rhyme scheme is *abcabc / defdef*.

Structure:

The poem is divided into three parts:

1. Exposition: A debate on human life and the destructive power of fortune, death, and time.
2. Examples: Citations of past personalities who were victims of the aforementioned agents.
3. Eulogy: A tribute to the deceased and his encounter with death.

Themes:

The poem expresses universally accepted truths in the Middle Ages:

• World: The world is a place of transit. Through good deeds,