This Google Lit Trip is entirely in Portugese!

Luís Vaz de Camões (1524-1580), the famous Lisbon poet, composed “Os Lusíadas” in 1572 to glorify the expedition and exploits of Vasco da Gama in the Indian Ocean. In his work he tells the most beautiful and interesting episodes of Portugal’s history.

In 1498, Vasco da Gama succeeded in achieving Columbus' goal, rounding the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) and reaching India by sea.

In the words of Voltaire (cited by William Julius Mickle on the 1877 translation of this epic poem) “The Lusiad” contains a “sort of epic poetry unheard of before. No heroes are wounded a thousand different ways; no woman enticed away, and the world overturned for her cause.”

Montesquieu also said the following: “the discovery of Mozambique, of Melinda and Calcutta has been sung by Camoens, whose poem has something of the charm of the Odyssey and of the magnificence of the Æneid” (cited by Kate Milner Rabb on “National Epics”).

About the Contributor...

Teresa Pombo Pereira

(http://www.profteresa.net)

(http://blogicament.blogspot.com)

Greetings from Portugal...

I’m a Portuguese Language Teacher (you’d say Language Arts) since 1993. I’ve been also an ICT Trainer for eight years. In 2008, I finished my Master’s Degree Thesis on Educational Science (Educational Technologies) with a work on the development of a Virtual Learning Environment on 8th grade, Language Learning and Formative Evaluation. I’ve been using webpages, blogs, Webquests and other tools and resources since 2003.

My most recent project is about Google Lit Trips (http://viagensliterarias.wordpress.com) where I present my first kmz file, some tutorial and various ideas on how to use Google Earth in Literature studies.

So, enjoy the reading (http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/lus/index.htm )! Enjoy the trip!