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

Origins of Castilian Literary Prose

Up to the 13th century, literary prose texts in Castilian appeared after verse. Vernacular prose was initially used as an intermediate language in translations from Arabic into Latin. This process found its greatest advocate in Alfonso X, after whom Castilian literary prose acquired significant maturity.

Alfonso X: Champion of Castilian Prose

Alfonso X of Castile ascended to the throne in 1252. He made Castilian a language of culture. His works included translations from Latin and Arabic, enriching the lexicon and syntax of Castilian. He also established Castilian as the official language. The Alfonsine prose production covered historical, legal, scientific, and entertainment works.

Emergence of Castilian Prose

Experimental Poetry and Renewal: 1950-1960

Topics: Everything deeply human: man, time, childhood, friendship, love, and everyday life.

Style: Greater variety than in the previous decade and more rigorous in their work with words.

Group or Generation of '50: Claudio Rodríguez, Ángel González, José Ángel Valente, Jaime Gil de Biedma, Gamoneda, José Agustín Goytisolo, Caballero Bonald.

• Claudio Rodríguez: His early career began with Don de la ebriedad. Later books include Conjuros and El vuelo de la celebración.
• Ángel González: Considered the most social of the poets of the Group of '50. His work shows a journey through different stages. His most important works are Tratado de urbanismo and Canciones para una breve biografía.
• Jaime Gil de

S18: Bourbon Suppression

After the succession of Gurria Mon and the enthronement of the Bourbons, the Catalan language was banned and persecuted. Charters, customs, and usages were abolished.

The Enlightenment

Dominated by rationalist ideas of progress and science, literature was primarily didactic and essayistic. Publications included grammatical and historical dictionaries, and catalogs of literary authors.

Poetry

Neoclassicism

Didactic and scholarly, imitating classical forms and themes. Poets also cultivated satirical poetry and narrative (e.g., John the Baptist Escorigüela, Anthony Cardona and February, and Joan Ramis).

Preromanticism

Characterized by a more intimate, subjective, and sentimental style. This led to the early Romantic authors of... Continue reading "Evolution of Catalan Literature: 18th Century Resilience" »

Luis de Góngora: Poetic Works

The poetry of Góngora practiced minor art and Petrarchist poetry. He explored various subjects, treating them with a high approach or parody.

Minor Art Poetry

• Growing Moorish ballads, pastoral, historical, and burlesque.

Sonnets

• The theme is loving, inciting the Petrarchist line, though modified by the consciousness of time.
• Others are burlesque.
• A third group addresses disappointment and the transience of life.

Major Poems

• Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea
• Soledades

Lope de Vega: Poetic Works

Lope de Vega was a man of extraordinary creative capacity in narrative, theater, and literature.

Romances

Lope was one of the creators of the new romance. He developed Moorish, pastoral, and loving romances. In his old age, religious and... Continue reading "Spanish Golden Age Poets: Góngora, Lope de Vega, Quevedo" »

Spanish Realism and Naturalism

Armando Palacio Valdés

A realist, his novels often depict an idealized world (the valley, farmers, villages). He addresses the conflict in the mines when it arises in these settings, and values traditional life.

Work: The Lost Village

Pedro Antonio de Alarcón

His stories are well-constructed and possess great narrative force.

Work: The Three-Cornered Hat

Juan Valera

An educated man, he achieved his intended purpose in his artistic works. His novels explore amorous and religious conflicts, and feature thorough psychological analyses of their protagonists.

Works: Pepita Jiménez and Juanita la Larga

José María de Pereda

An academic and novelist with traditional ideas, he described the landscape of his homeland, Cantabria.... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Realism, Naturalism, and Modernism" »

Why Simón Rodríguez Was Considered Bolívar's Most Influential Teacher

Simón Rodríguez profoundly impacted Simón Bolívar by challenging his preconceived notions and exposing him to the realities of colonial life. He instilled in Bolívar an awareness of the injustices faced by slaves, blacks, and browns, prompting Bolívar to seek solutions and ultimately fight for the freedom of the Venezuelan and American peoples. Rodríguez's unconventional approach ignited Bolívar's passion for change.

The Philosophy of Civil Rights Inculcated by Simón Bolívar Rodríguez

Rodríguez believed that individuals must be prepared for citizenship, understanding the rights and responsibilities it entails. His philosophy emphasized:

• Education as a means to

Publius Ovid Naso: Life and Literary Legacy

Publius Ovid Naso was born in Sulmona (central Italy) in 43 BC into a wealthy family of the equestrian class. He studied rhetoric in Rome and completed his training with a long journey through the Hellenic world.

When he returned to Rome, he initially pursued a judicial career, but soon left it to dedicate himself entirely to poetry. He frequented the circle of Messalla Corvinus. His work is a reflection of the life of Roman high society, of which he was undoubtedly an outstanding figure.

Major Poetic Works of Ovid

Ovid successively devoted himself to various poetic genres:

Heroides

A collection of imaginary letters written in elegiac verse by heroines to their absent husbands or lovers. Ovid also added... Continue reading "Publius Ovid Naso: Roman Poet's Life and Enduring Literary Masterpieces" »

Plato's Idealism and "The Republic"

Plato based his idealism on the claim that the true reality was not this sensible world, but the world of Ideas. This text primarily discusses his work, The Republic, which he wrote in two stages. The first book was composed during his youth, reflecting the ideas of Socrates, while the remainder was written in his mature stage. The Republic is dedicated to justice and is developed as a Socratic dialogue, notably with two sophist brothers (likely referring to Glaucon and Adeimantus).

Plato expounds on some of his fundamental ideas, including the existence of two worlds: the sensible world (perceived by senses) and the intelligible world (grasped by reason).

Key Concepts in "The Republic"

Book VI of The Republic... Continue reading "Plato's Philosophy: Ideas, "The Republic," Ancient Greece" »

Medieval Epic Poetry: The Mester de Juglaria

The first appearance of epic poetry is due to epic poems in which the deeds of heroes are recounted. These poems were anonymous and intended to publicize events, meant to serve as an example, and encourage the people. Their intention was to entertain. The dissemination of these songs was oral and was in charge of the troubadours, who went through the villages reciting these poems accompanied by musical instruments. The office of the minstrels is known as Mester de Juglaria and was based on oral sources. They used versos de arte mayor, assonance, and rhyme, plus fixed formulas. References to the auditorium were frequent. Castilian epic poetry is distinguished by its realism and the use of the epic... Continue reading "Mio Cid Poem: Medieval Epic Poetry in Castile" »

Essential Latin Literary Topoi

• Carpe Diem: Enjoy the moment.
• Ubi Sunt: A rhetorical question lamenting the passing of people and things, famously utilized by Jorge Manrique.
• Tempus Fugit: "The time that was" – a reflection on the fleeting nature of time.
• Memento Mori: Remember death, the moment of death.
• Locus Amoenus: Description of a pleasant, ideal, or perfect place or scenery.
• Beatus Ille: Happy is he who praises country life over city life.
• Death Equality: Establishes equality between all men, without distinguishing between social classes.
• Descriptio Puellae: Description of the beloved, whether ideal or imaginary.

Gonzalo de Berceo and Mester de Clerecía

Gonzalo de Berceo initiated the Mester de Clerecía, which comprises narrative poems written... Continue reading "Key Figures and Literary Works of Medieval Spanish Literature" »