The Life and Trials of Lazarus: A Journey Through Adversity

The First Treaty
Lazarus begins with telling the story of his childhood. His nickname comes from his birthplace, the River Tormes. At age eight, his father, Gonzalez, was charged with robbery and forced to serve as a knight against the Moors. During this expedition, he lost his life.
Lazarus and his mother, Antona Perez, went to live in the city, where she cooked for students and washed clothes for the grooms of the commander of the Madeleine. She started having a relationship with a boy called

Read More

Ancient Greek & Roman Literary and Philosophical Legacies

Greek Epic: Homer and Hesiod

Greek epic is a narrative genre that recounts the heroic deeds and cultural traditions of a people. Representatives:

  • Homer: Although we have no information about his person, he is considered the most important author of two epics: The Iliad and The Odyssey. These two poems extol the glory of ancient heroes. The religious presence is constant, featuring divine interventions and prayers. The Homeric poems are considered two fundamental pillars of universal literature.
  • Hesiod:
Read More

Roman Epic Poetry: Key Works and Historical Evolution

Epic Poetry: Origins and Early Forms

The primary subject of epic poetry is to narrate the deeds of kings, warlords, and disastrous wars. The Romans produced their first epic poems in the late third century BC.

Commendationes

Commendationes are funerary inscriptions in verse, composed in praise of a deceased person. They recount the valor and glorious deeds of the departed.

Convivialia Carmina

Convivialia Carmina (banquet songs) are considered the clearest early record of epic poetry. In the early centuries

Read More

Chansons de Geste: Medieval Epic Poems

The term refers to the so-called chansons de geste (songs of deeds). A chanson de geste is a type of narrative poem in a Romance language, focusing on historical events with a great profusion of legendary elements.

These songs were performed by traveling minstrels who recited or sang to all types of audiences, from the elevated courts and castles to heterogeneous crowds at fairs and pilgrimages.

The main examples include: La Chanson de Roland, El Cantar de Mio Cid, and the Nibelungenlied.

Chansons

Read More

Medieval Spanish Poetry: Key Works and Authors

Medieval Spanish Learned Poetry (Mester de Clerecía)

Medieval Spanish literature of the Middle Ages was not limited to local and religious topics, but also addressed major themes of European literature of its time. The length of these texts, often exceeding ten thousand verses, the relevance of their sources and the matters discussed, the vast erudition displayed, and the international nature of the subject make these books perhaps the most interesting of their time.

Archpriest of Hita: The Book

Read More

Periods of Catalan Literature and Theater

Catalan Baroque Theater

The baroque comedy strengthened l’espectacularitat.

Francesc Fontanella: author of the most innovative Catalan Baroque theater. His most important works are Tragicomèdia d’amor pastoral and Fermesa per força, offset by a prose work that idealized one world of burlesque to another. His work in verse, Lo desengany, shows shepherds solving their loving disappointments by contemplating a farce that represents the mythological marriage of Venus and Vulcan, a clear example of theater

Read More