Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Latin for Secondary education

The Brotherhood of Speech

A movement that began in 1916, promoted by Antón Vilar Ponte. Its main objective was to claim the language and culture of Galicia. In 1918, it was grouped in Federacion Lugo and celebrated the 1st Assembly of Galician Nationalists. The main objectives of the brotherhoods were:

• The linguistic co-officiality between Galician and Castilian.
• Wide autonomy that would solve the economic and social problems of the country.
• Promotion of a culture of interest.

The Achievements of the Brotherhoods

• Work for the use of Galician in different aspects of public life.
• Development of publishing activity, including the newspaper "The Our Land" and the foundation of publishers such as Celtiga.
• Promotion of theater, enshrined in the National

The Contemporary Novel: Context and Influences

Social and Cultural Transformations

• Advances in technology and science (e.g., automobiles).
• Rapid industrial and urban growth.
• Crisis of Positivism and Rationalism.

Changes in Spain: The 1898 Disaster

• The Disaster of 1898.
• General backwardness of the country.
• Calls for material reforms.

The Generation of '98: Defining Spanish Literature

The term "Generation of '98" designates a group of Spanish writers who began publishing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This name originates from a significant historical event: the Disaster of 1898.

Key Characteristics and Concerns

All these writers shared a common attitude of protest against society and the prevailing state of literature. Among their primary concerns...

Literary Texts

Literary texts allow us to affirm their literariness. The issuer can be an external circuit to the internal one of the author and may or may not be the author. The receptor, the reader, in every literary work is created by the implied reader within the work itself. Communication in literature presents differences because the receptor is also an issuer, and they are in different communication situations.

The literary message differs from other texts because its sole purpose is not practical. The literary character of a work creates a new reality, a different world, not a real one. The reader considers it true or false according to their task.

The ordering of contents is conditioned by the modes of discourse (narrative, description,...

Generation of '98: Reforming Spain

The Generation of '98 comprises writers and intellectuals who shared concerns about reforming Spain and a desire for aesthetic transformation. They recognized the political, social, and cultural crises during the transition from the 19th to the 20th century. Key features include:

• Concern for Spain's Problems: They critically reflected on the country's issues from reformist perspectives, delving into the topic of Spain subjectively.
• Existential Issues: They addressed profound human issues from individual perspectives, influenced by contemporary European philosophical currents.
• Sobriety: They contributed to the century's aesthetic renewal by deliberately pursuing anti-rhetorical language, elaborate in its simplicity

The Middle Ages

The period spanning from the fall of the Roman Empire (5th century) to the Renaissance (15th century), with literature flourishing from the 10th century onwards.

Key Characteristics

• Coexistence between Muslims, Jews, and Christians
• Strong religious sentiment
• Military activities

Historical Context

• Birth of the Romance languages
• Development of literature in romance

Lyric Poetry

Jarchas

Mozarabic short verses located at the end of the muwashshahas. They feature themes of love, an abundance of exclamatory and interrogative sentences, and emotional vocabulary.

Troubadour Poetry

Flourishing in the 12th and 13th centuries, this learned poetry was written in Provençal by known authors. Styles include:

• Pastoral: Country settings
• Sirventes: Anecdotal

Glossary of Terms

• Wicked: That which is against religion and lacks mercy.
• Encañada: Passing water through pipes or tubes; rods used to support plants.
• Poyales: A stone bench or similar structure leaning against a wall.
• Jacare: Alligator.
• Yetar: To bring bad luck.
• Thickens: The act of adding a crass or thick liquid.
• Maximum: First, mainly, or mostly.
• Oslayar: To put an object on one side, crosswise, or oblique to navigate a narrow space.
• Escarnio: A highly offensive and humiliating joke intended to hurt or offend.
• Murky: Dark.
• Lancina: To shred or tear meat.
• Decrepit: Antiquated or extremely old.
• Abanto (Abbasid Vulture): Belonging or related to the dynasty of Abu-l-Abbas.
• Suspicious: Prone to suspicion or distrust.
• Abazón: Each of the two sacks or bags

La Celestina (1499)

The play was first published anonymously, attributed to an anonymous author, and focused on the characters of Melibea and Callisto. It consisted of 16 acts. Later, it was attributed to Fernando de Rojas. In 1502, it was printed with a new title, Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea, and with 5 new acts. The work is known mainly as La Celestina. La Celestina is a very long work in dialogue. Some consider it a novel, others a play, while others think it is a dialogued novel.

Style: Cultured and popular language.

Characters: Divided into two groups: the upper class, such as Calisto and Melibea, and the popular class, such as Celestina, prostitutes, and servants.

Topics: Love, death, greed, selfishness, avarice, class struggle.

The

Poema de Mio Cid

The Poema de Mio Cid is an epic poem that tells the story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid, a Castilian nobleman who lived in the second half of the 11th century. The poem recounts the loss and recovery of honor of the Cid, who was unjustly exiled by King Alfonso VI. It is composed of 3,730 verses and is divided into three parts:

• The Song of Exile
• The Song of the Wedding
• The Reproach of Corpes

Gonzalo de Berceo: Milagros de Nuestra Señora

Gonzalo de Berceo was born in the late 12th century in Berceo. His life was centered in the Monastery of San Millán, and he is the first known author in the Spanish language. His major work, Milagros de Nuestra Señora, is a collection of 25 stories featuring the Virgin Mary. The structure is...

Miguel Hernández: A Life in Poetry

Hernández was born in Orihuela (Alicante). He studied at a college of the Society of Jesus until the age of 14 when he left school to help his father in the family business. In his free time, he frequented the public library where he read classics and mystics.

Hernández's Poetic Journey

Hernández's poetry began with creative verses full of images of the Hispanic tradition. His work marks the transition between earlier authors and a new era. His poetry is characterized by its virile and heartfelt tone, its humanity, and technical perfection. He uses metaphors, sometimes primitive, sometimes surreal, but always full of strength. He highlights life, evocations of the natural and rural. The main theme of his...

A Historical Overview of the Catalan Language

Origins and Early Texts

Catalan, a Romance language, traces its roots back to the ninth century in the Hispania region. The earliest documented Catalan text dates to the first half of the twelfth century. This fragment is from a translation of the Forum Iudicum, also known as the Book of Judges.

The Influence of Troubadour Poetry

Flourishing from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and from central France to the Pyrenees, troubadour poetry, primarily composed in Occitan (or Provençal), significantly impacted Catalan literature. The dominant genre was the canso (song). Other notable genres included the planh (lament for the deceased), the sirventes (satirical composition targeting rivals), and the canso