15th Century Literature: Key Developments & Impact
15th Century Literature: Key Developments
Economic and Social Landscape
Politically, there was a tendency towards the concentration of royal power across nearly all of Western Europe. The expansion of communication routes, improved means of transport, and a booming trade fostered the emergence of business activities that transcended the barriers of guilds and cities. This opened new avenues, even for the Church and aristocracy. A crisis emerged in social relations among the estates. The development of agriculture, livestock, industry, and trade fostered the growth of a middle class. Commercial activity made the world smaller, marking the beginning of the era of discoveries and the application of great inventions, such as the compass and gunpowder.
Intellectual and Cultural Renaissance
The invention of the Gutenberg printing press revolutionized knowledge dissemination. All books printed during the fifteenth century, due to their particular value and rarity, are known as incunabula. The spread of paper, originally from China, was crucial; initially made from plant fibers, paper production shifted to using rags, and paper gradually replaced parchment. Printing and paper led to cheaper books and wider dissemination. Reading became an increasingly individual activity. The development of lens manufacturing techniques quickly led to the production of spectacles, telescopes, and other optical aids, making books more accessible to a wider audience.
From Italy, the cultural movement known as Humanism developed and expanded, placing humanity at the heart of its concerns. It revalued the cultivation of literature and fine arts. Notable humanists include:
- Italian Humanists: Leon Alberti, Leonardo da Vinci
- Castilian Letters: Antonio de Nebrija, Jorge Manrique, Fernando de Rojas (author of La Celestina)
- Other Literatures: François Villon
The Iberian Peninsula in the 15th Century
The decomposition of feudalism was also evident in Castile. Civil wars occurred, in which the new bourgeoisie of Jewish origin played an important role. In 1474, Princess Isabella ascended to the throne of Castile, married to Prince Ferdinand, heir to the Aragonese crown. These two major peninsular kingdoms were united. The Catholic Monarchs began to lay the foundations of the modern state. They established the Tribunal of the Inquisition, and Jewish and Moorish populations were forced to convert.
The year 1492 was pivotal:
- The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada was conquered, bringing the entire peninsula under Christian rule.
- Christopher Columbus reached America.
- The expulsion of unconverted Jews occurred.
- Antonio de Nebrija published the first Castilian grammar.
Nobles and wealthy bourgeois began to realize the usefulness of knowledge. This led to the development of men of letters, particularly lawyers. Their importance increased due to their cultural role and their development of an ideology that supported the new economic and political order. The rough forms of medieval life were refined. The ornamental characteristic of architectural monuments from this period is known as the Florid Gothic or Plateresque style.
Traditional Lyric Poetry
The transmission of this oral and popular poetry preserved the first written testimonies in Castilian from the late 15th century. Among these popular and traditional songs, the villancico (carol) was the most widespread form, expressing emotions and ideas. It represented a serious artistic expression of the lower, still rural and traditional, strata of society. From 1580 onwards, the imitation of popular lyrics by cultured poets became widespread, leading to frequent interplay and convergence between traditional and educated lyric forms.
This old popular lyric, though simple in appearance, is essentially symbolic. It is characterized by a series of common expressive procedures:
- Variety of styles
- Images of nature
- Intensity, tension, and stress
- Repetition and wordplay
- Contrasts and euphemisms
- Presence of a chorus and female voice
Symbols such as the sea, fresh water, the plant world, the open field, animals, wind, sun, spring, and dawn all point to a vital concept of the world.