Essential Grammar, Narrative Structure, and Ausias March's Poetry

Grammar Fundamentals: Pronouns and Prepositions

Understanding Pronouns

Pronouns are words that can replace a nominal phrase and can therefore have the same functions. They can be tonic (or strong) and unstressed (or weak).

Types of Pronouns

• Singular / Plural:
  • 1st Person: I, me / we, us
  • 2nd Person: you / you
  • 3rd Person: him, her / they, them
• Reflexive Pronoun: se

Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases

Classes of Prepositions

Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words in a sentence. They can be categorized as:

• Weak: a, with, of, in, for, by
• Strong: toward, against, below, from, among, up to, without, on, under, beyond, through

Common Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases are groups of words that begin with a preposition and end with a noun or pronoun. Examples include:

• because of
• in spite of
• except for
• by force of
• through (e.g., through the night)
• before (e.g., before dawn)
• after (e.g., after the event)
• next to
• alongside
• underneath
• following
• against
• instead of
• amidst
• outside of
• due to

Literary Forms: The Short Story

Defining a Short Story

A short story is a narrative, a series of imagined events. Its plot is usually simple, involving few characters, and its fundamental purpose is to entertain, amuse, and advise.

Structure of a Short Story

A short story typically has five parts:

1. Initial Situation: The opening state of affairs.
2. Approach to Conflict: The emergence of a new event that triggers the central conflict.
3. Development of Action: All the actions and events that unfold as the conflict progresses.
4. Outcome: The results and consequences of the preceding actions.
5. Final Status: A new, stable situation that follows the resolution of the conflict, often different from the initial situation.

Ausias March: Life, Work, and Legacy

Biography of Ausias March

Ausias March, son of the poet Pere March and Eleanor Ripoll, had a deaf-mute sister. He participated alongside King Alfonso V of Aragon in several military expeditions. He inherited the lordship of Beniarjó and was the King's greatest falconer. March married Isabel Martorell (sister of Joanot Martorell) and, after her death, Joana Escorna. His work constitutes a profound reflection on love and its moral implications. He spent his last years in Valencia, where he enjoyed a reputation as a poet. Ausias March died on March 3, 1459.

Ausias March's Poetic Work

In his poems, Ausias March makes abundantly clear his determination to break with the language and style used by the troubadours. In total, his work consists of 128 poems, divided into three main groups:

• Songs of Love: In these poems, the poet presents a woman of flesh and blood, with both defects and virtues, moving far from the idealized stereotype of courtly love.
• Songs of Death: Six compositions are dedicated to lamenting the death of his second wife, Joana Escorna.
• Spiritual Song: This is a long poem addressed to God, where March reflects on the future after death and spiritual matters.