From classical antiquity to the Middle Ages
Introduction
The beginning of literature from Greece was established as the basis of inspiration for Western literature, already generated a point of origin for the creation of new literary themes and genres;Classical antiquity has left in time many works that due to their form and content still last, and have even been the basis of inspiration for many later authors.
According to the philosopher and literary critic José María Valverde, classical literature can be assumed as the first literary movement given in the West;This literature responds to a compendium of writings made in both Greek and Latin, and created between the 10th centuries to.C and V D.C. About the transmission of this literature it is known that it was oral, since this literature develops at a time when the main transmitters were poets of ancient Greece, which recited these stories at parties for both playful and pedagogical purposes,since they were used to entertain the guests and educate about aristocratic values. The known texts regarding this era were subsequently written.
Developing
Classical literature can be divided into four periods: Jonico, Atico, Alejandrino and Latino.
The first of these periods is also known as the archaic period, it is believed that this period covers from the eleventh century to the seventh century to.C.. The issues at this time were myths, assumptions about religion, the existence of fatum or destiny, and others aimed at culture. During this first period of classical literature in Greece, epic poetry and lyric poetry arise, however the epic literary genre or epic poetry stands out through the use of epic, referring to the exploits made by Greek heroes.
In epic poetry, classic works of the genre are highlighted, such as the Iliad, whose plot lies in Achilles’ anger and tells the events corresponding to 51 days of the last year that took the Trojan War, and the Odyssey, which recounts the tripOdysseus back to Ithaca and all the misadventures he suffers in this journey;The authorship of these works is attributed to Homer, author to whom Hellenists associate with the beginning of classical literature;Historically, the existence of this character has been questioned since it is believed that his name can refer to a society of poets, the homéridas, that to be children of the prisoners of war, they were in charge of remembering the local epic poetry and the historical facts.
Lyric poetry is related to intimate feelings and emotions, that is, the work revolved to a self and its point of view;The name of this literary genre arises based on the fact that the lyrical poets accompanied their songs with the melody of the lyre;The songs of this literary genre could portray from funeral melodies to love songs, however some lyrical poems such as those of Albeo also deal with political and religious issues presented from a subjective point of view. His greatest exponents are Safo, Albeo and Alcmán.
In contrast, epic poetry highlighted the beauty and perfection that characterized the ideal of Greek men, this trait can be observed in the treatment made by artists, especially sculptors, in order to express the beauty of the human body based onThe balance and harmony of the works in question, this characteristic can be glimpsed in sculptures such as the discóbolo of Mirón in which a young and attractive athlete is represented in an instant prior to the launch of an album, as well as in works similar toThe Odyssey, in these works it reflects that the ideal of man not only focuses on the marked body, but that the heroic character had to possess superior physical strength, this because the sculpture does not show a single feature of effort, it should alsocount virtues such as cunning, value and will, among others.
In the epic also highlights the cradle of the character giving importance to his place in front of the people since this benefited the ruling class, however in the works the humble characters are given importance. Throughout these works, the use of the rational nature is very common, since it is established that all the events carried out are not randomly placed, that is to say that all are in this literature the characters are driven by reasons andreasons to carry out their actions.
The second era, also called a classic period, addresses from the 5th century to IV to.C. In this period it was developed from the evolution that Athenian society had giving rise to a new element in literature, theater;This arises from the Dionysian festivals in which the choirs of men singing and dancing paraded through the city, gradually these choirs began to introduce the role of a second actor, apart from the choir that filed dialogues, later those dialogues were studied generating thus generating thus generating thusparliaments;After this, the street was abandoned as the scene of these dialogues and a place for their representation was built.
Through the theater, a reflection from fun from issues such as everyday life, human passions, the virtues and vices of man with respect to his destiny;At this time two dramatic genres stand out: tragedy and comedy. In this way, literature progresses and is not focusing only on the monarchy, but begins to popularize and touch issues that are also of interest to the people.
In the tragedy there is the treatment of issues related to the divinity and the relationship of men with it;It arises from the ritual of sacrifice in which animals were offered to the god Dionisio to get blessings of this, the character of sacrifice can be seen in tragic literature since generally the argument of the tragedy falls to the descent of an important heroic character. The main representatives of this genre are: Esquilio, Creator of Prometheus who deals with Zeus’s punishThe epitome of the tragedy, and Euripides writer of Medea. The works present in this genre expose the power of the gods and the consequences of facing or offending them.
On the other hand, comedy compared to tragedy focuses on opposite theme, since, while the tragedy treated the ideal of man and the issues related to humanity, the comedy portrays the characters in a caricaturized way, representing their lowest facet ofburlesque and absurd form. In this genre the authors mocked elements of Greek society such as politics or philosophy, among others, for this they started from a stereotyped base of the people of society to create mockery, while satirizing aspects of day to day to day to dayof the society in which all the inhabitants were involved.
One of the best and most old Greek comic poets is Aristophanes, who through dramatic satire in frogs ridiculed Euripides, and in the clouds he made fun of Socrates, these works are considered representatives of the old literary comedy.
After the attic period, the Alexandrian period develops in the fourth to II to.C, this era is characterized by the decline of the Hellenic culture and the absorption of it by the Roman power, however, this does not refer to a resignation of Latin inheritance but represents a mixture of the Greek tradition and the Roman tradition,This culture is also known as Cultural Grecolatina. During this period, pastoral poetry was introduced as a sign of appreciation of nature, epigrams were produced as well as traditional epic poetry;In this period, literary prose predominates, writers such as Theocrito, Callimachus and Apollonius are recognized.
The last period of the classical Literature of DA from century to century to.C until the sixth century D.C and receive the name of the Latin or imperial period;In this period, authentic productions are established, such as the Aeneid, a work that was written by Virgil at the request of King Augustus with the aim of fortifying the empire through the attribution of a mythical origin;The appreciation of the oratory from the rhetoric headed by Seneca and Quintiliano is also highlighted and the Horacio and Ovid Lyric poets stand out since they represent a line between classical and decadent poetry, the adequacy classicism model begins to undoin form and content.
From the fall of the Roman Empire, it begins to constitute in Europe, during the Middle Ages. The compendium of works classified as medieval literature, this literature covers from religious writings to the profane;The greatest amount of works belonging to medieval times are anonymous due not only to the shortage of documents regarding this time, but also to the lack of interest regarding the originality and predominance of orality, since people did not know how to read. In these texts, characteristics such as writing versed, imitation, and didactism stand out since these works were sought to transmit Christian values to the pair of behavior models;These texts mostly portrayed the adventures or crossings of soldiers that leased to the war to defend their homeland, an example of this is the singing of Mio Cid.
conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that the different moments of Hellenistic society gave rise to the production of various literary elements, and that, due to the progress of thought that developed since the beginning of classical literature, the human being began to gain importance withinHis own history, developing various ways to communicate with his peers and leaving a mark of his passage in history.
It is difficult to find, in the classical literature of the West, a better treatment of characters and scenarios such as in the Odyssey, this epic highlights such as cunning and loyalty, as well as the antivalores of disobedience, lust and disloyalty, showing the importance of the right act of actingand respect the power figures (gods). This text can also be taken as a metaphorical source, and due to the theme that the text is treated and the multiple nuances that it addresses it is very entertaining to read it, however, this by requiring some knowledge regarding the Greek tradition not a book of for any reader.
For its part, the decameron is an ingenious book that reflects elements related to religion as a mockery;This book makes use of elements that generate great interest and fun in the reader, and by capturing a hedonistic vision, unlike many texts of this era is refreshing. The characters used in this work are so close to humanity that you manage. Like the odyssey, the decameron were two readings that I made with joy and interest.
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