Indo-European and Other Language Families
Topic 1: Background of English
Vocabulary: Many similar words exist in several languages: English: menu, German: Menü, French: menu. At the end of the 18th century, Sir William Jones, Franz Bopp, Jacob Grimm, and August Schleicher developed the theory of cognates. Languages derive from a common ancestor and split up into cognate languages. In the 19th century, Darwin’s Origin of Species inspired the Genealogical Theory.
Metaphor: Family Tree: Latin is the mother language; Castilian, French, and Italian
Read MoreUnderstanding Poetry: Elements, Devices, and Themes
Understanding Poetry: A Deep Dive
Poetry is a literary genre where the author expresses moods, feelings, and emotions through carefully crafted language. It often involves creating beautiful sounds and wordplay, typically in verse.
The Building Blocks of Poetry
Metrics
Metrics are the rules governing the structure of poetic compositions, dictating how lines and stanzas are arranged.
Meter
Meter refers to the number of syllables in a verse.
Rhyme
Rhyme is the total or partial repetition of sounds at the
Read MoreBécquer and Late Spanish Romanticism: Themes and Style
Late Spanish Romanticism: An Overview
In its early years, Spanish Romanticism suffered from superficiality and excessive rhetoric. Authors exaggerated and unassimilated foreign artistic lessons. Later poets corrected this by refining and internalizing the poetic language of Romanticism, avoiding its excesses. They shared the intellectual and artistic values of Romanticism but placed special emphasis on the use of symbols, often inspired by elements of nature. Literary language became seemingly simpler,
Read MoreEzra Pound and the Modernist Movements: Imagism & Vorticism
Modernism and Ezra Pound
At the beginning of the 19th century, we find Romanticism, which emerged from the late 18th century and lasted approximately until 1840. Victorianism then took center stage until 1880. A transitional period, known as Fin-de-Siècle, occurred from 1880 to 1890, followed by the Edwardian period at the beginning of the 20th century until 1910. This period ended due to an exhibition in London that profoundly impacted the intellectual class. Virginia Woolf noted that human nature
Read More18th-Century Spanish Literature: Trends and Institutions
18th-Century Corrientes: Dynasty Change and Enlightened Despotism
Corrientes in the eighteenth century saw a change of dynasty, leading to enlightened despotism, a philosophy summarized as “all for the people, but without the people.” This era, known as the Enlightenment, promoted the creation of public and private institutions. The first newspapers were printed. The principles were not easily accepted and often attacked traditional culture.
In literature, the penetration of new ideas was slow and
Read MoreLiterary Devices: Enhance Your Writing
Understanding Literary Devices
Alliteration
Definition: Repetition of one or more sounds in a verse or stanza. It creates euphonic effects or cacophony. Examples:
- “You take grip of rare breeds of birds…”
- “The wing of a mild fan.”
Onomatopoeia
Definition: Imitation of real sounds using phonetic language. Example: “Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo.”
Paronomasia
Definition: Phonetic similarity of words or word groups. Example: “I’ve sold, blindfolded.”
Assonance
Definition: Equality of vowel sounds from the last stressed
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