Humanism, Renaissance, Baroque, and Enlightenment: A Cultural Journey
Humanism and the Renaissance
Humanism emerged as a cultural movement in 14th-century Italy, forming the foundation of the Renaissance. Humanists, primarily writers and intellectuals, rediscovered the allure of classical Greco-Roman literature and culture. These classical authors served as both examples and models. Humanists championed the human condition, emphasizing humankind as the focal point of all cultural and artistic endeavors.
Humanism in Catalonia
Officials within the royal chancery, possessing
Read MoreLiterary Topics: Love, Time, and Poetic Devices
Literary Topics
This document explores various literary topics and devices.
Love Post-Mortem
“Love beyond death.” Love persists even after death.
“Beatus Ille”
Happy is he. Praises of country life, away from the urban environment, which is considered detrimental. Its Castilian variant is the contempt of the court and the praise of the village.
“Carpe Diem”
Enjoy the day. Encourages youth to seize the moment due to the rapid passing of time.
Age of Gold
An irretrievable former time, considerably superior
Read MoreAphasia Therapy, Pragmatics, and Psycholinguistics
Predicting Communicative Success in Aphasia
The primary goal of aphasia therapy is not to restore language, but to restore communication so that the person with aphasia isn’t isolated from their family, friends, and the other people they need to interact with. A huge proportion of aphasia cases have so much language impairment that getting all the way back to normal language is not realistic. Most people with aphasia need to supplement their language with gesture, drawing, and whatever amount of
Read More17th Century Spanish Literature: Baroque Period
17th Century Literature: The Baroque
Historical and Social Context
The 17th century was a historic moment of national crisis in Spain:
- Economic Crisis: Wealth from the New World was not adequately invested, leading to increased poverty.
- Spanish Decadence: The country faced constant war and the expulsion of Jews and Moors.
- Emigration to America: Some areas were depopulated due to emigration.
Definition and Major Characteristics
There is a great contrast between the 16th and 17th centuries. The optimism
Read MoreCatalan Poetry: Exile, War, Landscape, and Struggle
Carles Riba: “T’evocaré de lluny…”
“T’evocaré de lluny…” by Carles Riba represents sadness for something lost. Written by the professor while in exile in Bierville, France, after the Spanish Civil War, the poem uses the temple of Súnion as a symbol of enduring classical Greek culture. Riba, forced to emigrate from Catalonia because he was on the losing side of the war, draws a parallel between his situation and the resilience of Greek culture.
The poem is composed of modules consisting of
Read MoreSpanish Literature in the 18th and 19th Centuries
Moratín
His comedies adhere to the rules of “good taste” and the three unities (time, place, and action). Classical and Renaissance playwrights established that a play had to be developed in one place, over one day, and with a single action. His works maintain a moral and educational background. Moratín’s comedies are well-constructed and masterfully resolved. They are also characterized by their style and the psychological care given to some characters. Moratín “performs a continuous one of his
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