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

Baroque Literature Characteristics

Baroque writers prioritized originality, aiming for surprising effects, resulting in art dominated by contrast. They employed a complex style rich in literary devices.

A pessimistic view of reality is evident in key Baroque themes:

• Concern for moral standards.
• The transience of life.
• The universal presence of death.
• Disappointment.
• Existence as a subject for contemplation.

Different literary approaches among authors led to two main currents:

Culteranismo

Sought formal beauty through learned words and an artificial language, often using anastrophe. Its main representative was Luis de Góngora.

Conceptismo

Developed a complex literary discourse based on wit, irony, paradox, double meaning, or caricature. The most important... Continue reading "Spanish Baroque Literature: Authors and Styles" »

The Generation of 50 Poets

The Generation of 50 refers to a group of Spanish poets who began publishing in the 1950s. Some younger poets, while not strictly part of the group, shared their critical vision of reality, common ethical attitudes, and a similar focus on community problems. For example, their concerns included the individual's relationship with their environment, social dissent, and denunciation.

A key feature of these poets was their humanist attitude, demonstrating a deep concern for human problems—social, moral, existential, and historical. This concern often manifested as an open political or social statement, though always rooted in their personal perspective. Most exhibited a conscious stylistic will and a diligent care for... Continue reading "Spanish Poetry: The Generation of 50 and Novísimos" »

**15th-Century Literature: A Blend of Medieval and Humanist Ideals**

**Key Literary Models of the Era**

• Dante Alighieri: Author of *The Divine Comedy*
• Francesco Petrarch: Known for his love poetry, which influenced European literature
• Giovanni Boccaccio: A model for sentimental prose

**Characteristics of the Mixture of Humanism and Medieval Themes**

• Chivalric subjects
• Evaluation of fame
• Admiration for a cultivated style
• The demise of the medieval schools of clergy and minstrelsy

**Learned Poetry**

This style, also called "cancionero" because the poetry is preserved in the songbooks of the time, is conceptual and addresses issues such as love, satire, and morality. Love poetry is modeled after medieval courts, while the lyrical theme mimics the moral-allegorical... Continue reading "15th-Century Literature: Humanism, Poetry, Prose, and Theater" »

Key Characters

• Santiago Nasar: The central character, a 21-year-old from a powerful family.
• Angela Vicario: Accused Santiago of taking her virginity.
• Bayardo San Román: A newcomer, known for his courage and arrogance, who marries Angela.
• Placida Linero: Santiago's mother, who fails to foresee her son's death.
• Christopher Bedoya: A childhood friend of Santiago.
• Pedro and Pablo Vicario: Angela's twin brothers, obligated to avenge the family honor.

Authors

Mario Vargas Llosa

A writer whose fiction varies in each novel, always seeking to renew structures and ways of expression to approach Latin American reality. Works include: The City and the Dogs, Talk in the Cathedral, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, The War of the End of the World.

Miguel Angel Asturias

Nobel... Continue reading "Key Characters and Authors in Latin American Literature" »

Antonio Machado: A Poet of Melancholy

Antonio Machado was born in Seville in 1875. Like his brother, he was educated in the liberal and progressive environment of the Free Institution of Education. His first book went unnoticed, and its influence is clear from Rubén Darío and the French symbolist poets. He appeared in 1903 with the title of Loneliness, which was published in 1907 but again under the title of Solitudes, Galleries, and Other Poems. His vocabulary is rich, full of adjectives and metaphors, as was characteristic of the modernists.

Recurring Themes in Machado's Work

Frequent topics in his poetry include the melancholy of autumn, trees, and gardens in the evening, symbolizing the sad feelings of the author. Machado's work is closely... Continue reading "Antonio Machado and Juan Ramón Jiménez: Spanish Poets' Legacy" »

Romantic Lyricism: Definition and Features

Romantic lyric is a literary piece written in verse that has the characteristics of the Romantic movement.

Key Features:

• Directly linked with the author's emotions and experiences.
• Identification of nature with the author's moods.
• Presence of religious elements.
• Identification of the poet with his work, incorporating elements of their life.
• Polyrhythm, meaning the lines are not metrically equal.
• Use of romantic elements, such as metaphors and expressive resources.

Latin American Representatives of Romanticism:

• Martín Fierro
• Rubén Darío
• Esteban Echeverría
• Juan Zorrilla
• Juana Inés de la Cruz

Juan Antonio Pérez Bonalde: Romantic Lyricist (19th Century)

Life and Influences:

• Left Venezuela due to disagreements with

Marcus Fabius Quintilian

Marcus Fabius Quintilian stands as the highest representative of Roman eloquence in the eyes of our era. Of Spanish origin, he was born in Calahorra, in the province of Hispania Tarraconensis, around 40 AD. He soon went to Rome, where he was taught by the most important rhetoricians of the time. In the last years of Nero's government, he returned to Spain, but was recalled by Galba in 68 AD and remained in Rome until his death.

The Emperor Vespasian appointed him teacher of rhetoric, and Domitian later commissioned him to educate his nephews. In stark contrast to his public life, which was full of fame and success, his private life was very unhappy, as he soon lost his wife and two young children.

In 90 AD, Quintilian... Continue reading "Masters of Roman Oratory: Quintilian and Cicero's Legacy" »

Jorge Carrera Andrade (1903-1978)

Jorge Carrera Andrade was born in Quito, Ecuador, in 1903. A distinguished public servant, he served as an ambassador, diplomat, minister, and vice-chairman of the House of Culture. He also participated in the founding of the Social Christian Party.

His main poetic works include:

• Juan sin Cielo (Juan without Sky)
• Estanque Inefable (Ineffable Pond)
• El Aro de Silencio (The Wreath of Silence)
• El Papel de la Manzana (The Role of the Apple)
• Lugar de Origen (Place of Origin)
• Microgramas (Micrograms)

His prose works include:

• El Sendero del Sol (The Path of the Sun)
• Viajes y Libros por Países (Travels and Books by Country)
• Interpretaciones Latinoamericanas (Latin American Interpretations)

His spiritual and poetic development unfolded... Continue reading "Ecuador's Poetic Masters: A Literary Journey" »

Garcilaso de la Vega

Considered the prototype of the courtly lover, Garcilaso de la Vega renews poetic concepts and introduces a new sensibility. He recuperated classical forms and introduced new metrical forms.

Themes

• Petrarchan Conception of Love: Impossible love, inspired by his beloved; uses the Petrarchan ideal of feminine beauty to describe it.
• Idealized Nature: Refined and harmonious. A desire to escape from court life and a longing for rest and peace leads to the description of the locus amoenus (pleasant literary topic).
• Mythology: Recreates myths that combine love, despair, and death.

Style

Sober and simple style without artifice, expressing feelings naturally and with literary elegance. Recovers concepts like carpe diem to emphasize the... Continue reading "Key Figures and Literary Styles of the Spanish Golden Age" »

The Novel in the Generation of '98

As indicated in the chapter on the Generation of '98, the novel is the most important genre for many cultured members of this group. The subjects they prefer are Spain, the causes of decay, history, people... further reflection on man and his destiny. These authors do not care about the history of great characters, but for what Unamuno called the intra-historia, i.e., 'the quiet life of thousands of people without history.' Another key element in the novels of the Generation of '98 is the description of the landscape as a reflection of a particular mood.

With regard to form, these authors rely on simplicity and clarity, fleeing empty rhetoric and long sentences. The most important thing is the plot, background,... Continue reading "Generation of '98: Key Novelists and Literary Features" »