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

Luis de Góngora

Luis de Góngora is the poet of the senses. He was not interested in delving into thought or emotional impact, or recreating the contents of an argument. Instead, he looked for a different aesthetic pleasure.

Characteristics of Góngora's Poetry

• Pictorial Consciousness: A sensory, descriptive poetry that speaks of the taste for a contemplative attitude and the creation of images.
• Landscape: Nature stands as the centerpiece of his work, describing landscapes, objects, animals, etc.
• Blend of High Culture and Popular: Góngora combined elements of high culture and popular culture.
• Satire and Panegyric: He cultivated two types of contradictory poems: satire, which outputs his most critical views, and praise of noble heroes.

Themes

Góngora... Continue reading "Luis de Góngora: Master of Sensory Poetry" »

More recently, it is important to establish the Galician Drama Center as a stable public theatrical company alongside independent companies. At this stage, we can identify three generations:

First Generation: Post-War Era

The first consists of the post-war generation of shows from the Ribadavia Theater and the generation of the Drama Center. Galician authors who lived with playwrights before '36 represent continuity with the renewal of the drama that was being made in previous years to raise military authors, such as Blanco Amor or Cunqueiro Xenaro. Cunqueiro will be another representative of the renewal process of the theater with their Galician drama, The Uncertain Sines Don Hamlet of Denmark. The last of the successors is Xenaro, author of... Continue reading "Galician Theater: Generations, Authors, and the Drama Center" »

The 15th Century: The End of the Middle Ages

The fifteenth century marks the beginning of a change in thinking that breaks with the medieval conception of the world. The theocentric conception of life is replaced by anthropocentrism, which celebrates the individual. Humanity experienced a complex and contradictory period across all social orders, leading to a deeper reflection on the meaning of life.

Key Historical Events of the 15th Century

The nobility fueled multiple social rebellions springing up in different parts of the peninsula. Key historical developments include:

• The marriage between Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, marking the beginning of the convergence of the Hispanic peninsular kingdoms.
• The end of the Reconquista,

Literary Foundations of Modernism

The literary movement known as Modernism (*Modernismo*) took various influences as its reference points.

Parnassianism

Born in France in the nineteenth century, Parnassianism owes its name to the magazine Le Parnasse contemporain. Its teacher and initiator was Théophile Gautier.

Characteristics of Parnassianism

• Style: Cult of formal perfection and preference for a poem submitted to strict meter.
• Themes: Contempt for sentimentality and preference for incorporating classical mythology.

Symbolism

The birth date of this school is generally considered 1886. This movement begins with the influence of Charles Baudelaire.

Characteristics of Symbolism

• Style: While maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the lines, it uses a

Classical Mythology: Words and Their Ancient Roots

Chaos in Mythology

According to classical mythology, the beginning of the world was chaos. There was no order, and the elements of nature were mixed without any discernible way.

Medusa and Her Serpent Hair

Medusa was said to be the most terrible of the Gorgons. She was characterized by having snakes instead of hair, which continuously writhed.

Atlas: Titan and Cartography

Atlas was the brother of Prometheus, punished to bear the heavens and the earth upon his shoulders. The name 'atlas' also refers to a collection of geographic maps in one volume. Legend says that Perseus, the hero who brought the head of Medusa, saw Atlas, who was immensely tired, and turned him into stone, thus creating the Atlas... Continue reading "Classical Mythology: Origins of Words and Phrases" »

Miguel Hernandez, who absorbed in his teens the classic poems of the Generation of '27, his elders, faced a unique position. The poets of the '27 Generation considered him provincial and did not see him as one of their own. What unites M. Hernandez and the Generation of '27 is the blend of tradition and avant-garde.

Literary Influences on Hernandez

This blend or fusion can be seen in his connection to literary tradition, the masters of the preceding generation, and the literary avant-garde movements.

Tradition and Golden Age Classics

• Golden Age classics: San Juan de la Cruz, Garcilaso, Fray Luis (for his sonnets and pastorals)
• Baroque poets: Lope de Vega, Quevedo
• Becquer's poetry, for its Romanticism
• Neopopularism, a cultured version of popular forms

Test Item 2 and 3: Medieval Spanish Literature

Jorge Manrique (Middle Ages)

• Metrical Foot: Used the *pie quebrado* (broken-foot) couplet stanza of six lines (8a, 8b, 4c, 8a, 8b, 4c), grouped in pairs.
• Topics and Content: The transience of worldly things, the instability of fortune, and the power of death.

The Diacritical Tilde

Some words use a tilde (´) to differentiate them from other words that are spelled the same but have different grammatical uses and functions.

Lexical Families and Semantic Fields

• Lexical Family: The set of all words formed from the same lexeme or root.
• Semantic Field: A set of words that share some common significant features but have others that differ.

Determinants

Determinants are words that accompany the noun, preceding and... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Middle Ages, Key Authors & Forms" »

Medieval Literary Genres in Spain

Lyric Poetry

Two trends characterized lyric poetry in medieval Spain:

• Traditional Lyric: Short poems focused on love affairs.
• Cultured Lyric: Encompassed three forms: cancionero, love poetry, and moral and satirical reflections on life and politics.

Narrative Poetry: Two Schools

• Mester de Juglaría (Minstrelsy): Featured epic poems and heroic narratives in versos de arte mayor.
• Mester de Clerecía (Clergy): Explored religious themes and the lives of saints in measured and rhymed verses, exemplified by works like the Book of Good Love and the Miracles of Our Lady.

Theater

• Religious Theater: Depicted scenes from Christ's life, such as his birth or crucifixion.
• Profane Theater: Included pastoral and romantic representations.

Novocentismo and the Avant-Garde in Spain

Vanguardia (avant-garde) desired Novocentismo, renovation, and modernization, focusing on two movements: Novocentismo and the avant-garde.

Novocentismo

Authors belonging to this movement had a strong intellectual background. They were worried about the situation in Spain but discussed it differently than the Generation of '98 authors.

Authors

• The sharp José Ortega y Gasset disseminated new ideas through essays such as The Dehumanization of Art.
• Ramón Pérez de Ayala and Gabriel Miró.

The Avant-Garde

The avant-garde comprised artistic movements characterized by their eagerness to renovate art and culture.

Movements

• Futurism: Characterized by extolling the mechanical and technical civilization.
• Cubism: First

Ancient Roman Governance: Key Institutions and Roles

The Roman Magistracies: The Cursus Honorum

The Roman magistrates were the leading exponents of executive power. The cursus honorum (course of honors), the progression of political offices, was perfectly regulated. It typically consisted of four main steps:

• Quaestor: The first step in the traditional Roman political career.
• Aedile: Responsible for public works and games.
• Praetor: Administered justice.
• Consul: The highest executive office.

The Roman Senate

During the Republic, the Senate was the most important organ of the Roman state. While its direct political power diminished during the Empire, it retained significant influence and prestige in civic life. Senators continued to enjoy high social... Continue reading "Ancient Roman Governance: Magistrates, Senate, and Censors" »