Understanding Language and Literature: Key Concepts and Terms
Understanding Language and Literature
Key Concepts and Terms
Semantics
The set of words that share a common meaning. Each word also has its own unique meaning that distinguishes it from others.
Copula
Has no lexical meaning.
Verbs Predicate
Provide information on the subject.
Consistent
Ideas are related to each other and form a meaningful unit.
Theme
Ideas must be related to a common theme, as expressed in the title, which brings unity to the text.
Organization
Ideas should be presented in a logical order,
Read MoreSurrealism, Emilio Prados, and Francisco Ayala in Spanish Literature
Surrealism: Origins and Concepts
Surrealism emerged in the early 1920s, primarily driven by the writer André Breton. Its interest in the subconscious, dreams, and human thought is linked to the growing knowledge of Sigmund Freud’s theories and the doctrine of psychoanalysis. Surrealism presented itself as a movement for human emancipation. This liberation was intended to manifest spontaneously in literary work, free from limitations and inhibitions, aiming to achieve a higher reality (sur-reality)
Read MoreAribau’s ‘Oda a la Pàtria’ and the Catalan Literary Renaixença
Aribau’s Landmark Poem: ‘Oda a la Pàtria’
Bonaventura Carles Aribau wrote his poem “Oda a la Pàtria” (Ode to the Homeland) while working in Madrid for the Catalan banker Gaspar de Remisa. He aimed to express their shared homesickness for Catalonia, viewed as distant from Madrid, almost like an “exile.” This poem is considered Aribau’s most significant work, as the rest of his literary output is seen as minor and circumstantial.
Publication and Importance
The poem was published in the journal El Vapor
Read MoreSpanish Literature: Unamuno, Machado, Baroja, Azorín, Valle-Inclán
Miguel de Unamuno
Miguel de Unamuno, a great essayist, highlights two main concerns in his work: Spain and the conflict between reason and faith. He analyzes the essence of the Spanish soul and its spiritual trajectory, which leads towards existentialism. In narrative technique, he innovated with what he called ‘nivolas.’ His most important work is San Manuel Bueno, Mártir.
Antonio Machado
Antonio Machado was born in Seville. He taught in high school in Soria, Spain. He married Leonor, who died three
Read MoreKey Concepts in Early American Literature
Early Encounters and Colonial Beginnings
- Who were the first Europeans in North American shores? Scandinavians – 11th century.
- The land bridge that connected Northeastern Asia to Northwestern NA in the ice age was: present-day Bering Strait.
- How many culture areas of NA Indians did Europeans encounter? 8
- NA was home to: more than 50 language families.
- How many types of literary production can be found until 1620? 3
- Two of them are: shipwreck literature and writings of witnesses.
- Who was unfairly imprisoned
Understanding Romanticism and Realism in Literature
Romanticism and Realism
Romanticism is a cultural and political movement that originated in Germany and the United Kingdom in the late eighteenth century as a revolutionary reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenment and Classicism, emphasizing feeling and emotion. A key feature is the break with classical tradition and its stereotypical rules. Freedom is a constant theme, making its revolutionary nature unquestionable.
Because Romanticism is a way of feeling and interpreting nature, life,
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