Literary Currents Preceding Ausias March: Toulouse and Italian Influences
The Influence of the School of Toulouse on Catalan Poetry
James and Peter March: Precursors to Ausias March
James March and Peter March, uncle and father respectively of Ausias March, wrote from very different viewpoints. James leaned toward the court and cultivated loving subjects of French influence, dictating sirventesos. Peter criticized customs, often focusing on the lives of craftsmen.
Peter March (Pere March)
Father of Ausias March, he wrote a work famous among his contemporaries, The Evil of Love. This is a true medieval treatise on the methods available in his time to cure the ailments caused by the state of love.
James March
Much more traditional, he is the author of the Book of Concordances (1371), which served as a dictionary of rhymes and a guide for the poets of that time, holding great value as linguistic evidence. He and Louis of Averçó, author of Interpreters (another treatise on grammar and rhetoric), received a commission from John I in 1393 to organize poetic contests in Barcelona, in imitation of Toulouse. In these competitions, debates and poetry of circumstance dominated. However, when the focus moved to Valencia, certainly by the end of the fifteenth century, thematic proposals often opted for religious themes.
Poetic Collections and Other Poets
Around this phenomenon, we find most of the poets of the time, whose work was published in full or partially in cançoners (songbooks). These were miscellaneous collections of various genres and authors compiled for different reasons, often used to promote poetry.
Notable collections include:
- The fourteenth-century Cançoneret de Ripoll.
- Masdovelles (XV century).
- Jardinet of Nuts (XVI century), notable for including poems in Spanish.
Gilabert de Proixida
A Valencian noble whose love poetry reflects a desperate and melancholic attitude. He dedicated his poems to a lady who underestimated him, leading to the idea of death for love, a theme common in his work. The rigid courtly thematic structure did not impede the appearance of his own personality, characterized by timid innovation.
Lyric Poetry with Italian Influence
During this time, two groups of poets emerged. The first followed traditional topics, while the second, more important, included poets associated with the Neapolitan court.
Andreu Febrer
A young man who entered the royal service as a scribe in the Chancery. He participated in several crusades and trips to Paris and Valencia, but especially to Italy. His lyrical production must be situated during his youth, before his stay in Italy. At that time, he was heavily influenced by classical poetry, particularly that of representatives of the trobar ric, such as Arnaut Daniel. His translation of Dante’s Commedia was the first made into a European language, approximately 20 years after the poem’s composition.
Jordi de Sant Jordi
He was a chamberlain (waiter) of Alfonso the Magnanimous. During the wars in Italy, he was imprisoned in Naples in 1423, at which time he wrote the poem Prisoner, a work of great expressive force. A knight, poet, and musician, he enjoyed great prestige at court and is considered the most original poet preceding Ausias March.
His poetry is essentially romantic. He uses a senhal (code name) to conceal the identity of the lady. Sometimes he sings to the “Queen of Love,” and other times to Na Isabel. His verses often address the suffering of courtly love, the irresistible force of passion, and the pain caused by these afflictions.