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

Serranillos: Medieval Poetic Encounters

A minor medieval poetic composition, typically featuring an encounter in the mountains and a dialogue, generally a love exchange between a knight and an idealized peasant woman. (Also known as Serranilla)

Jarcha: Mozarabic Love Poems

Mozarabic jarchas are short, popular amatory poems. Generally, the speaker is a young woman recounting her love experiences to her family. Salient features include: an abundance of exclamations, questions, and repetitions; the use of a simple lexicon with many endearing terms; and construction in versos de arte mayor (lines of more than eight syllables).

Cantiga de Amigo: Galician-Portuguese Lyric

A lyrical composition originating from traditional poetry, written by educated authors,... Continue reading "Medieval and Epic Poetic Forms Defined" »

Sixteenth–Eighteenth Century Decline

After a magnificent fifteenth century, literary production in Catalan declined both in quantity and quality. Causes of this devallada (decline) included several social and cultural dynamics that reduced the cultivation of literature in Catalan over the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Causes of the Decline

The main causes of the decline were varied and interrelated:

• alienation from the royal court;
• being dazzled by Castilian literature and its prestige;
• consequences of a number of historical events: revolts, the War of the Spanish Succession, and others;
• the appearance and spread of the printing press, which helped Spanish (Castilian) become the more widely distributed language for printed works.

Spain's Literary Shift: The Generation of '98

In 1898, the United States defeated Spain. Consequently, Spain granted independence to Cuba and ceded Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States. This event, known as the "Disaster of '98", deeply impacted Spain. In 1902, Alfonso XIII came of age, and the nation was grappling with a crisis of bourgeois consciousness. The prevailing attitude among intellectuals was one of rebellion. This dissent found its literary expression in two significant renewal movements: Modernism and the Generation of '98.

Core Tenets of the Generation of '98

• The primary theme was the "problem of Spain" following the Disaster of '98. Initially, they suggested "Europeanizing Spain" as a solution.
• Their search for national

Lyric Poetry: Definition and Features

Lyric poetry is a literary genre in which the author expresses their feelings subjectively. It can be written in both verse and prose.

Lyrical Attitudes

• Lyrical Emotion: External reality inspires the composition.
• Apostrophic Lyric: The poet addresses a "you," which is the constant reference in their composition.
• Language of Composition: The author focuses solely on their inner self, their vision of reality, and their experiences. This is the most lyrical attitude.

Distinguishing Features of Lyric Poetry

• Lyric texts are characterized by their brevity and concentration compared to other genres such as fiction and drama, which are distinguished by greater extension.
• The poet tries to express a thought, a feeling,

The Intertwined Nature of Life and Death

Across his poems, Miguel Hernandez pays homage to nature, celebrating the beauty of all life. However, a recurring theme is the experience of living, intrinsically linked with pain. Hernandez feels life is constantly threatened by uncontrollable forces. This duality of life and death forms an indissoluble association, shaping his biography and becoming the vibrant center of his poetry.

This dualism presents a clear existential significance, pointing towards the inevitable finality of death. Life and death become a discord, splitting the self. The fullness of life, like that of a bull, is marked by a tragic destiny—the ever-present experience of death.

Love as a Tragic Force

In Hernandez's work, the concept... Continue reading "Life, Death, and Love in Miguel Hernandez's Poetry" »

The Song of El Cid: A Medieval Epic

Date and Composition

The manuscript of El Cantar de Mio Cid, or The Song of El Cid, dates back to the 14th century. However, its composition is generally placed in the late 12th century or early 13th century.

Argument: The Heroic Journey of Rodrigo Díaz

The epic poem recounts the exploits of the Castilian hero, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid Campeador. The narrative unfolds in three main parts:

• Exile and Conquest

  By order of King Alfonso VI, El Cid departs with his loyal subjects into exile. He achieves great victories against the Moors, culminating in the conquest of Valencia.

• Reconciliation and Marriage

  The king forgives El Cid and allows his wife and daughters to join him in Valencia. El Cid's daughters

Major Literary Genres

Literary genres represent different possibilities for the author to present their work, depending on the author's attitude towards the subject matter.

The Lyric Genre

The lyric poet expresses their inner self, presenting the reader with intimate personal experiences, their perception of their surroundings, and ultimately, their own vision of the world. Verse is often used, but poetic prose can also be employed.

The Dramatic (Theatrical) Genre

The author sets the scene for characters, embodied by actors, who talk to each other to develop the action. Stage directions (didaskalia) are displayed within parentheses, usually at the beginning of the work and in certain parts of the representation. Dramatic works can be written in... Continue reading "Classification of Literary Genres and Subgenres" »

The Decade of the 1940s

Like the novel and drama, many poets were published in exile, while others, of a more traditional nature, published in Spain. They try existentialist themes, presenting a negative view of life and posing many questions.

Key Figures:

• Vicente Aleixandre emphasized this with the poetry collection Shadow of Paradise.
• Dámaso Alonso with Children of Wrath.

The Decade of the 1950s

As with other literary genres, the poetry of this decade is conceived as a tool capable of transforming reality. This poetry has a narrative character and tends toward prosaism.

Main Representatives:

• Blas de Otero, author of I Ask for Peace and Resignation Speech, where he addresses the lack of freedom in Spain.
• Gabriel Celaya, with his collection of poems,

Juan Varela:

Growing several genres, but I emphasize his work as a novelist. His work is characterized by the elegance and simplicity of his style and focus, especially in the psychological study of characters, particularly females.

His first major novel, Pepita Jiménez (1874), is written in letters in which the protagonist, a young seminarian, reveals his feelings for Lynette, who is engaged to her father.

Benito Pérez Galdós:

His novels are extensive, and it was Galdós himself who classified them into three groups: national episodes, first-time novels, and contemporary novels.

• Episodios nacionales: There are 46 volumes on the history of Spain during the nineteenth century, including Trafalgar, The May 2, Zaragoza, and more.
• Novels of the first

Spanish Poetry of the Francoist Exile

The Spanish Civil War led to the exile of many intellectuals from the Francoist regime. In the productions of these exiled poets, certain thematic constants emerge: the memory of a beloved homeland, the fight against injustice, and the inexorable passage of time. The poets went into exile, either voluntarily or because they knew that staying in Spain could mean prison or death.

Poetry of the 1940s

Rooted Poetry (Poesía Arraigada)

In the immediate post-war years, a propagandistic poetry of the victors was imposed. With the approval of the regime, two magazines were prominent:

• Escorial: A purely Falangist publication.
• Garcilaso: A somewhat more open magazine, founded by José García Nieto, which evolved the formal