Garcilaso, Mysticism, Lazarillo, Cervantes: Spanish Literature
Garcilaso: Issues and Developments
The primary themes in Garcilaso de la Vega’s work are love, melancholy, and sadness. His poetry often connects with nature, presenting the locus amoenus (pleasant place) as a reflection of the poetic speaker’s inner world, a refuge for their pain. Other poems address themes of friendship, fate, fortune, and the need to master one’s passions. His early poems show a Petrarchan influence, incorporating elements of *cancionero* poetry while developing his unique lyrical voice.
Garcilaso’s Eclogues
Garcilaso’s Eclogues are lyrical compositions in which shepherds express their love complaints within an idealized environment. They share the common theme of love and suffering.
- Eclogue I: Contains the monologues of two shepherds, dealing with the pain caused by the rejection and death of the beloved.
- Eclogue II: Stands out for its distinctiveness and metrical variety. The first part focuses on pain, while the second praises heroic deeds.
- Eclogue III: Weaves together the stories of four nymphs: three are mythological tales, and the fourth concerns the death of Elisa; the eighth is used real.
Mysticism: Steps to Reach the Mystical Union
Mysticism, specifically the mystical experience, corresponds to the unitive way. The three stages are:
- The Purgative
- The Illuminative
- The Unitive
San Juan de la Cruz and his works:
- Living Flame of Love
- Dark Night of the Soul
- Spiritual Canticle
Lazarillo, 3rd Module: Youth
(Dean, Chaplain, Bailiff). In this module, Lazarillo finally becomes a working man. He first works as a water carrier, then as a pig herder’s assistant and a sheriff’s assistant, and finally holds a real office as a town crier. The protagonist is seen at the height of his professional success, complemented by his marriage and a home.
Structure and Themes of *Novelas Ejemplares*
Cervantes’ *Novelas Ejemplares* lack a common framework, except for *The Dialogue of the Dogs*, which is inserted into *The Deceitful Marriage*. The collection presents a range of narrative modes and great complexity. A prominent feature is verisimilitude. Most of the stories tell of thwarted love with a happy ending, often tainted by jealousy. Friendship is also a prevalent theme, with many characters having a loyal friend. Other stories, like *Rinconete y Cortadillo*, focus on the world of rogues, prostitutes, and thieves. *The Dialogue of the Dogs* and *The Deceitful Marriage* develop the themes of hypocrisy and deceit.
Characters of Don Quixote
The characters in *Don Quixote* represent all social classes. The main characters, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, are distinct yet complementary, bound by friendship and loyalty.
- Don Quixote: The protagonist, described as tall, thin, old, quick-tempered, educated, and a great reader. He is single, lonely, brave, yet physically weak. His madness leads him to become a knight-errant. The theme of madness is central, forming the basis of the conflict between the hero and reality. He desires and believes himself to be a knight, but he is aware that he is pretending. This contradiction is inherent in his character: wise and foolish, false and true, he is the “wise fool.”
- Sancho Panza: In contrast to his master, Sancho is short, pot-bellied, illiterate, married, and peace-loving. He is a farmer whom Don Quixote entices with the simplicity and the promise of governing an island. He lies and is deceived, laughs and cries, is both discreet and simple, but always good and compassionate.
- Dulcinea: A figment of Don Quixote’s imagination, based on a strong and somewhat unattractive peasant girl whom he has barely seen and with whom he has never spoken. Dulcinea does not appear directly in the story, but according to the chivalric model, the hero needs a lady, and so he creates her.