Latin Epic Poetry: Defining Features, History, and Key Works
Characteristics of Latin Epic Poetry
- Origin: Defined as literate epic from its beginnings; a written product where an author consciously chooses the theme and stylistic devices.
- Form: Latin epic is written in verse, specifically the dactylic hexameter, which is considered the quintessential heroic verse.
- Topic: Starting from Greek models, Latin authors elevated remarkable and unrepeatable historical events from their past, such as the Punic Wars, to epic status.
- Heroic Figures: The protagonists of the
Latin American Literary Giants
Juan Carlos Onetti
A precursor to the Latin American Boom, Juan Carlos Onetti’s work, initially overlooked, is now considered classic. During his time, novel writing was uncommon in the Rio de la Plata region, where existing novels either mimicked European styles or focused on local nature and fantastical themes. Onetti, however, fragmented and distorted reality without resorting to fantasy. He centered his narratives on the cities of Buenos Aires and Montevideo and their inhabitants, marking a milestone
Read MoreRomanticism in Spain: Era, Authors, and Works
Romanticism in Spain: Era and Context
Romanticism was an artistic and cultural movement that prevailed between 1830-1855 but lasted until 1875. The Spanish society of this period was characterized by the triumph of bourgeois liberalism, which imposed a free market economy and established the equality of all citizens in the law. The Industrial Revolution in Spain was late and weak, exerting little influence.
Romanticism is the expression of the bourgeoisie struggling to gain political, social, and
Read MoreMajor Conflicts of the Late Roman Republic
Rome in the 690s AUC
The Catiline Conspiracy
During the consulship of M. Tullius Cicero the orator and Gaius Antonius, in the 691st year from the founding of the city, L. Sergius Catilina, a man of a very noble family but of depraved talent, conspired to destroy the country with certain indeed brave but reckless men. He was expelled from the city by Cicero. Associates of Catiline, having been seized, were thrown in prison. Catiline himself, having been defeated in battle, was killed by the other consul
Read MoreSpanish Language: Definitions, History, Phonetics
Key Terms
- Sultan
- Sovereign Muslim ruler.
- Dynasty
- Series of kings of a country belonging to the same family.
- Cutlass
- Short, broad, curved blade, sharp on one side only, used by Muslims.
- Congoja
- Grief, anguish.
- Petrified
- Turned to stone, paralyzed with terror.
- Prophet
- A person who predicts the future by divine inspiration.
- Inexorable
- Implacable, not softened by entreaties.
- Sharpen
- Fanning, awakening (metaphorical context).
- Stratagem
- Ardid, trick.
- Trivial
- Of little importance; not protruding from the ordinary.
- Paradox
- An
Spanish Baroque Masters: Ribera and Zurbarán
Spanish Baroque Painting: Styles and Context
Facing the polychrome Baroque imagery, in the national tradition, painting of this period shows a permeability to illumination, color, art, and models from abroad. Italy and Flanders in the XVII century were the mirror where the Hispanic artist would be reflected.
Styles and Influences
Two streams dominated the Golden Age in the first half of the XVII century: naturalism and tenebrism. Around 1650, painters mimicked the Flemish style of Rubens. The taste
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