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

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" »

Salvador Papasseit (1894-1924)

Born into a humble, proletarian family, Salvador Papasseit worked in a bookstore with his brother in 1917. A member of the Socialist Youth, he was considered a *mesos* anarchist and a freethinker. He married in 1918 and had two daughters. From that time, he began to write and direct magazines. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 30. His main themes were love, nature, and homeland.

Avant-garde Movements

The Avant-garde was an artistic renewal movement that took place between World War I and World War II. It was characterized by pictorial poetry, breaking with tradition, group consciousness, collage, and the beginnings of calligrams.

• Expressionism (1903): Amplification of the ways to translate a psychological expression.

Traditional Lyric Poetry

Lirica tradicional - the traditional lyric. Anonymous compose songs that are transmitted orally and the theme is the feeling of love. The oral poetry becomes poetry when it is transmitted by traditional collectivity. The first manifestations of the traditional lyric seem to be in the X or XI century. Poetry is of anonymous author, but the community endorses and transmits it to subsequent generations.

Structure

Traditional lyric-based rhythmic structures and pararelismo choruses.

Themes

Love, perhaps more abundant from a female perspective than male.

Style

Simple and condensed. Short poems are intense and emotional.

Metrics

Minor art verses of different measures of rhyme and assonance. The rate is usually based on the chorus... Continue reading "Traditional Lyric Poetry: Origins, Structure, and Styles" »

History and Techniques of Film

The history of cinema began in 1895 when the Lumière brothers presented the cinematograph. Initially, the first movies were documentaries. Later, Georges Méliès began using film to tell fictional stories.

Decisive moments in film evolution included the incorporation of sound and color. Cinema combines visual and auditory elements, including dialogue, music, and sound effects.

Narrative Techniques in Film

• Voice-over: A character talks about the projected image without intervening in the action.
• Temporal Devices: Techniques used include ellipses, flashbacks, and simultaneous actions.

Types of Shots (Plans)

• Extreme Long Shot (Major General Plan): Shows a very small human figure, emphasizing the setting.
• Full Shot (Plan-

Characteristics of Noucentisme

• Rationalism: Noucentists defended intellectual rigor, cold and objective analysis of circumstances, and clear exposition.
• Anti-Romanticism: They rejected sentimentality and preferred balanced attitudes and a serene, intellectualized expression of emotions.
• Defense of "Pure Art": Art must merely provide aesthetic pleasure and should not be a vehicle for religious or political concerns or emotions.
• Intellectual Elitism: The writings of these authors were aimed at connoisseurs.
• Careful Style: The ideal of "well-made work" led to detailed care in the structure of works and the use of a clean and refined style.

Avant-Garde Movements

• Expressionism: Characterized by the exaggerated description of physical or psychological features.

Spanish Poetry of the 1940s

This period is characterized by a poetry of exile and imprisonment. Authors in this situation developed themes of the lost homeland, nostalgia for Spain, and the war, all expressed in a tone of bitterness, despair, and helpless nostalgia. The existential theme emerges, and personal resentment is often set aside to address more universal human issues.

Two Major Trends in Post-War Poetry

Rooted Poetry (Poesía Arraigada)

This movement was formed by poets who emerged from the war with a desire for optimism, perfection, and order. These poets were grouped around two magazines: Garcilaso, founded by José García Nieto and featuring poets like Jesús Juan Garcés, Jesús Revuelta, Pedro Lorenzo, and José María Valverde;... Continue reading "Spanish Poetry of the 1940s: Rooted vs. Uprooted Voices" »

Modernism

Beginning in the late 19th century in Hispanic America, with creators like José Martí and Rubén Darío. It began with the publication of Azul by Ruben Dario. Key features include:

• A focus on aesthetic literature, seeking beauty.
• A search for escape from reality, often through remote settings.
• Themes expressing feelings like weariness (existential anxiety), apathy (living without desire), and melancholy (sadness).
• Use of symbolic elements, such as the swan as a symbol of modern beauty.

Generation of '98

A group of authors born between 1864 and 1875, with two main themes: a decadent Spain and existential angst. Prominent authors include: Miguel de Unamuno, Pío Baroja, Azorín, Ramón Valle-Inclán, and Ramiro de Maeztu. Their thoughts... Continue reading "Modernism and Generation of '98: Key Authors and Themes" »

The Origins of Popular Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry originated in the everyday activities of people singing. The main theme was love, and the songs were oral and anonymous.

The Jarchas: Mozarabic Lyric

The jarchas were popular Mozarabic lyric ditties of no more than 5 or 6 lines. They gather laments of a girl in love and are very expressive with direct language. Characteristic personalities include the habib (beloved), the mamma (mother), and the yermanelas (sisters).

Catalan Lyric

• Influenced by the poetry of the Provençal troubadours, sometimes written in Provençal.
• Composed by the troubadours.
• Main theme: courtly love.
• Genres: The canso, the sirventes, and the tenso.

Galician-Portuguese Lyric

• Influenced by the Provençal.
• Appeared at the end of the 12th

Lope de Vega: His Literary Legacy

Lope de Vega cultivated most of the literary genres of his time. He was an excellent lyric and epic poet, and he wrote several prose works.

Prose Works

• Arcadia: A pastoral novel with Renaissance idealism.
• The Shepherds of Bethlehem: A religious work that is pessimistic about the world.
• The Pilgrim in His Homeland: An adventure novel.
• Novelas a Marcia Leonarda: Four Italian-style short stories, dedicated to his last wife, Marta de Nevares-Marcia Leonarda.

Most notably, the prose work La Dorotea is an extensive dialogue work. For many, it is his masterpiece, a text that should be considered alongside other compositions from the final stretch of the writer's life, which convey bitterness, disappointment, and melancholy.... Continue reading "Lope de Vega's Literary Legacy: Prose, Drama, and Poetic Innovations" »

Modernism in Latin America

Modernism had its source in Latin America at the end of the 19th century. José Martí (Cuba) and Rubén Darío (Nicaragua) created and distributed it. "Azul" by Rubén Darío is considered the start of Modernism.

Features of Modernism

• Aesthetic Literature: It seeks beauty above all else, emphasizing rhythm and musicality while changing metrical forms.
• Topics: Feelings such as boredom, apathy, and melancholy are explored. This causes authors to take refuge in dream worlds.
• Escapism: An escape from reality, situating works in remote venues, both in space and time. They discuss alien civilizations, the past, and luxurious surroundings.
• Symbolic Elements: The swan is a symbol of Modernist aesthetics.
• Erotic, Poetic Language