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

Realism

Born in opposition to the previous century's romantic exaggeration, Realism focuses on the political and social problems brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Among these problems, we highlight the poverty and exploitation of the working class in contrast to the wealthy bourgeoisie.

Characteristics of Realism

• Focuses on the bourgeoisie.
• Subjective elements are eliminated to make way for objectivity.
• Reflects social classes in a simple and clear manner.
• Critiques society, especially the bourgeoisie.
• Provides detailed descriptions of scenarios and environments.
• Includes in-depth analysis of the characters' personalities.

Authors of European Realism

• Stendhal
• Balzac
• Gustave Flaubert
• Charles Dickens
• Juan Valera: Pepita Jiménez
• Leopoldo Alas "Clarín"

Historical Context of the Romantic Period

The Romantic Period covers the first half of the 19th Century (XIX). This period was preceded by the Neoclassicism movement.

Romanticism is a cultural and political movement that highlights new facets of human beings: their feelings, ideas, dreams, and fantasies.

The War of Independence and the Salic Law

The historical setting was set in motion during the War of Independence. During this time, Ferdinand VII reigned. His daughter, Isabella II, was the subject of much controversy due to the Salic Law, which prevented women from taking the throne. By eliminating this law, the King faced opposition from his brother, Charles, who wanted to reign instead of Isabella. This conflict led to the Carlist Wars.

• Salic

Characteristics of Roman Magistratures

• Public Officials: They were Roman citizens exercising public authority.
• Collegiality: Offices were held by at least two people to decrease the chance of arbitrary performance.
• Elective: Magistrates were elected by different assemblies.
• Time-Limited: Terms were generally short; however, Censors served for five years.
• Gratuitous: These positions were unpaid; the judges received no salary.

Ordinary Magistrates and the Cursus Honorum

Ordinary magistrates followed a specific career path known as the cursus honorum, which required a minimum age for each role.

Aediles

There were four Aediles (two pairs). They were responsible for public order, city maintenance, and markets. They were elected by the tribal assemblies.

Tribune

Galician Narrative Between 1936 and 1976

Between 1936 and 1976: a narrative of years of silence. In the 1950s and 1960s, the publishing houses Editoriais Abeiro and Galaxia in Monterrey gave rise to a narrative published in Galicia in the Galician language.

First Narrators of the Postwar Period

Between these years, the dominant narrative trends were:

• Social realism: recreating the life of the urban working classes and the environment of the poor.
• White fantastic love story: blending the real world with the fantastic and the mythical traditional worlds of Galicia.
• Other literary influences: Álvaro Cunqueiro and the short story, reworking popular tales in a cultured ambience.
• Popular narrative: Anxel Fole.

Eduardo Blanco

Love: a work of love in all the...

Garcilaso de la Vega: Renaissance Poetic Essence

Garcilaso de la Vega's work, published posthumously in 1543, is concise yet encapsulates the essence of later Renaissance poetry. His compositions are often imbued with themes of love, featuring lyrical songs and elegies that show a direct influence from classical antiquity. However, it is his Eclogues that represent the pinnacle of his poetic achievement.

The Eclogues: Pastoral Dialogues

An eclogue is a poetic composition where characters, typically shepherds, engage in dialogue, often about love. Garcilaso's Eclogues include:

• Eclogue I: Two shepherds express their disdain and regret over the loss of their loved ones.
• Eclogue II: The only one of the three with significant dramatic action.
• Eclogue

Biography of Antonio Machado

Antonio Machado was born in Seville into a liberal and progressive bourgeois family and was a student at the Institución Libre de Enseñanza. He traveled to Paris, where he met Pío Baroja and Rubén Darío. Later, he won the French chair at the Institute of Soria.

Life in Soria and Personal Tragedy

He married the young Leonor Izquierdo, who died early; her memory and the Soriano landscape remained permanently joined in his life and work. He later lived in Baeza, Segovia, and Madrid. During this time, he met Pilar de Valderrama, the 'Guiomar' of his verses and his late love.

Exile and the Generation of '98

In 1927, he was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Language. Loyal and committed to the Republic, he went...

15th-Century Spanish Poetry

Fifteenth-century poetry, influenced by traditional folk songs, developed into two main forms: poetry of oral transmission and educated poetry.

Oral Poetry: The Romancero

The romancero is a collection of poetry from oral tradition that continues and renews old epic themes. These ballads are narrative poems, often sung, with a specific metric structure. Some recount the exploits of medieval heroes, while others narrate the wars against the Muslim kingdom.

Key Characteristics

• Meter: Simple eight-syllable lines with assonance rhyme in the even-numbered lines.
• Types: Two types of ballads are distinguished:
  • Romancero Viejo (Old Ballads): A compilation of anonymous romances from oral tradition.
  • Romancero Nuevo (New Ballads): Romances

Miguel Hernández

The poetry of Miguel Hernández is defined by profound themes of love, death, pain, and deep social and political commitment. As a pivotal figure, he befriended the poets of the Generation of '27, exerting a decisive influence on the literary landscape.

When the Spanish Civil War broke out, Hernández enlisted in the Republican army, traveling to various fronts to recite poems and plays. Following the war, he was imprisoned.

Poetic Career

Early Works

His early writing shows the influence of Baroque and avant-garde styles, exploring unrequited love through surreal images and symbols.

Committed Poetry

Hernández wrote about the dignity of people in struggle, creating songs of exaltation and praise, while also expressing deep pessimism...

Novecentismo: Intellectual Literary Movement

Novecentismo is a literary movement created by writers of intellectual formation, which, contrasting with others, sought to create a pure art and a renewed human content of reality. This cultivated prose exposed their approaches to Spanish modernization. This literary tendency belongs to Ortega y Gasset, one of its most important authors, and to Juan Ramón Jiménez and Eugenio d'Ors.

Juan Ramón Jiménez: Nobel Laureate & Literary Stages

Juan Ramón Jiménez was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1956. His literary stance was characterized by a constant search for knowledge. His extensive work is divided into three stages:

• Sensitive Era (1900-1916): Characterized by the power and literary

Poetic Genres and Literary Forms

Anthem

An anthem is a song that expresses positive feelings of joy and celebration. It can also be a musical composition that identifies a community, a region, a people, or a nation, uniting those who interpret it.

Ode

An ode is a poetic composition of high tone that deals with various issues, organizing a reflection of the poet. Depending on the theme—which can be religious, heroic, philosophical, or romantic—it is generally applied to any poem intended to be sung.

Elegy

An elegy is a sub-genre that generally refers to any poem of lament. The elegiac attitude expresses regret for anything that is lost: illusions, life, time, a loved one, or a feeling.

Song

A song is an old poetic composition that responds to various...