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

Spanish Literature Overview

Poetry

Garcilaso de la Vega (1st Half of 16th Century)

Works: Sonnets, Eclogues (pastoral poems)
Themes: Love (lady's indifference, lover's pain), Nature (stylized setting for love complaints)
Style: Clear, simple, elegant, harmonious. Predominantly hendecasyllable verse, alliteration, musical hyperbaton.

Fray Luis de León (1st Half of 16th Century)

Prose:
Translations: Song of Songs
Original Works: The Perfect Wife
Poetry:
Translations: Passages from the Book of Job
Original Poems: Less than 40, mostly lyrical compositions with varied themes and structures.
Themes: Nature, longing for country life, night's music (influenced by Beatus Ille)
Style: Lira verse, hyperbole, alliteration, hyperbaton, metaphor, personification. Frequent... Continue reading "Spanish Literature: Golden Age and Medieval Classics" »

Literary Topics (Topoi) Defined

A literary topic, or topos, is a recurring theme, subject, or conventional device repeated throughout literature across different eras and cultures.

Carpe Diem

This literary motif, prominent during the Renaissance, promotes the intense enjoyment of the present day, often translated as "seize the day," living as if it were one's last.

Wounded Deer (Cervus Saucius)

A religious literary motif linked to the Bible. It is often related to the suffering of someone who has been wounded or hurt in love.

Beatus Ille (Happy is He)

A literary movement meaning "happy is he" who chooses a retired life, away from the noise and chaos of the city. It is an ode to the retired life, famously exemplified by Fray Luis de León.

Colligan,

The Human Comedy Genre

Regarding the 'Human Comedy' genre, sometimes attributed to Petrarch: Its arguments are often simple, servants play very important roles, it can contain obscene passages, and it may feature illogical changes of space and time.

La Celestina

First Edition (1499, Burgos)

• Originally titled Comedy of Calisto and Melibea.
• Comprised of 16 acts.

Second Edition (1500, Toledo/Salamanca)

• Titled Comedy of Calisto and Melibea, also with 16 acts.
• Both the first and second editions include a foreword and a letter to a friend. In this letter, the author states he found the first act of the comedy during his vacations, and his enthusiasm led him to finish the remaining 16 acts in 15 days.
• The letter contains acrostic verses that reveal: The bachelor

The Baroque Period (1598-1621)

The Baroque period (approximately 1598-1621) is a time of sinking pessimism. The utopia of man as the center of the universe fades. The concern over time is the Baroque subject par excellence. Antithesis and contrast are enhanced; these elements are also characteristic. The period seeks to surprise.

Trends in Baroque Lyric Poetry

In Baroque lyric poetry, we distinguish three trends:

• The most pure Baroque style is Conceptismo, which finds its greatest exponents in Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián. In Conceptismo, the classical balance between expression and content is broken in favor of the latter. It uses paradoxes, neologisms, antithesis, and resources to achieve humor.
• Second, the Culteranismo style is peculiar to Góngora.

J.V. Foix (1893-1987)

Josep Vicenç Foix, born in Sarrià in 1893, signed his works as J.V. Foix. He abandoned his law studies and dedicated his life to culture. Although his main activity was literature, he participated in politics as a nationalist, was interested in contemporary painting, and was involved in sports at the Catalan Flying Club. The roots of his native town, the countryside, Catalonia, and his faithfulness to his language are elements that give meaning to his work. He died in 1987.

His work includes articles on political and aesthetic considerations, such as "Some Avant-Garde Literature" (1925). His main work belongs to the poetic prose genre, as well as verse:

1. Poetic Prose: He planned to collect 365 pieces, but only 208 are conserved.

Antonio Machado's Poetic Legacy

War Poetry and Exile

His subsequent and diverse production includes "Poems of War" on issues and personalities of the Spanish Civil War. He resorts to traditional forms of verse. This commitment led him to die in exile. In his pocket were found his last few verses: "These days the sun blue and children."

Themes, Motifs, and Stylistic Features

In Machado's poetic production, there is a constant correspondence, undoubtedly his most authentic. This, along with the author's own character—discreet, reserved, polite—made him seem timid. Perhaps he abandoned fashion and eccentricity, which he saw as remarkably decorative, giving rise to a fundamentally intimate poetry.

Familial and Early Influences

Let us first consider... Continue reading "Antonio Machado's Poetic Journey: Themes, Style, and Evolution" »

Key Aspects of Medieval Culture

Theocentricism: In medieval Christian society, everything revolved around religion, influencing lives and literature.

Middle Ages: A period spanning from the 5th to the late 15th century.

The Clergy: The literate class during the Middle Ages, driving education.

Feudalism: Production based on a natural and agricultural economy, tending toward self-sufficiency.

Orality: Medieval works often contain appeals to listeners and repetitions.

Monasteries: After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, written culture found refuge in monasteries.

Author Anonymity: Medieval books were manuscripts, and authors were often anonymous.

Secularization: In the late Middle Ages, written culture expanded beyond ecclesiastical walls.

Universities:

Medieval Chivalry and Crusades

Ramon Llull was a great medieval writer who authored The Book of the Order of Chivalry. Knights were the armed elite of society, tasked with defending the populace and nobility from enemy rulers. They initiated crusades. Medieval crusades aimed to conquer territories, often clashing with Muslim forces. Participating in the Crusades was highly regarded. Crusaders could keep all the riches they acquired. Taking part in a crusade granted automatic pardon for all sins committed. The first crusade in the Iberian Peninsula was not Jerusalem; Jerusalem was the setting for many crusades. The conquests by King James I were against Muslim kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula.

The Chivalric Romance Genre

France was a focal point... Continue reading "Medieval Literature and Chivalry in the Crown of Aragon" »

The Novel of the 1950s

This era was characterized by its social and demanding nature, often employing techniques like objectivism.

Two Major Trends Emerged:

• Neo-realism: Focusing on individual perspectives and existential problems. Notable authors include:
  • Ignacio Aldecoa (El fulgor y la sangre)
  • Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio (El Jarama, a chronicle of youth on a Sunday at Jarama)
  • Carmen Martín Gaite (Entre cortinas)
• Social Realism: Depicting societal challenges and the lives of ordinary people. Key figures include:
  • Jesús Fernández Santos (Los bravos, portraying the peasantry)
  • Jesús López Pacheco (Central Eléctrica, focusing on the working class)

Also in the 1950s, other narrative forms flourished, such as the short stories of Ignacio Aldecoa. Distinct... Continue reading "Modern Spanish Fiction: Key Eras and Authors" »

Medieval Prose: Origins and Development

Until the 13th century (s. XIII), Castilian literary prose emerged after verse. Poetry was orally transmitted, but prose demanded reading. This process found its biggest driver in Alfonso X, who undertook important cultural activity that earned him the nickname "the Sage."

His great contribution was making the Castilian language of culture capable of transmitting information on materials previously reserved for Latin and Arabic. This enrichment provoked lexical and syntactic changes. Alfonsine works are largely translations of Latin and Arabic references, carried out by a group of wise experts in different disciplines. Alfonso X employed Castilian as the official language in the drafting of royal documents... Continue reading "The Evolution of Medieval Castilian Prose (13th to 15th Centuries)" »