Medieval and Renaissance Spanish Literature: Key Works and Themes
The Reconquista and the End of the Middle Ages
The Reconquista, a process that gradually unfolded between several Christian and Muslim kingdoms, characterizes this period in the Iberian Peninsula.
- It concluded in 1492, when the Catholic Monarchs took Granada, the last territory occupied by Muslims.
- That same year, the Jews were permanently expelled from the mainland.
Popular Literature (11th and 12th Centuries)
During the eleventh and twelfth centuries, literature was limited, transmitted orally, and created by and for the common people.
Characteristics of Popular Poetry
- Lyric: The subject matter of popular poetry was varied, though love was the predominant theme in these compositions.
- Narrative: Its purpose was to recount events that would arouse public interest, seeking both to entertain and inform.
Cultivated Literature (From the 13th Century)
From the thirteenth century onward, a kind of polite literature was cultivated, written by and for the nobles.
Themes and Objectives
- Lyrical Themes: Predominant themes in cultured poetry include love, death, and social criticism.
- Narrative Aim: It aims to entertain, offer advice, and instruct readers.
Cultivated Lyric Poetry
- Themes: Love, society, and death.
- Metrics: Characterized by the use of the hendecasyllable verse and the sonnet.
- Style: More cultured vocabulary is used, and literary resources abound.
Jorge Manrique and the 15th Century
Jorge Manrique was the most famous poet who cultivated 15th-century love poetry, burlesque verse, and moral poetry.
Coplas por la muerte de su padre
His fame is primarily due to the verses on the death of his father, which form a long funeral elegy with a hortatory tone. In this work, he refers to the Three Lives:
- The earthly life.
- The life of fame.
- The eternal life.
In the poem, Manrique also utilizes the medieval topic of Ubi Sunt (Where are they?), which questioned the fate of the great figures of history and constituted a reflection on the transience of things.
Novelty: Manrique introduces the novelty of referring to the common man in the recent past, rather than focusing on distant past heroes, as was traditional.
Chansons de Geste (Epic Poetry)
These are extensive, anonymous narrative compositions in verse.
Key Characteristics
- Purpose: To report war events and teach patterns of behavior for society.
- Content: Historical protagonists narrate events. The hero’s characteristics are entirely positive.
- Metrics: The verses are divided into two hemistichs by a caesura, have an undetermined number of syllables, and the rhyme is assonance.
The Poem of the Cid (Cantar de mio Cid)
The Cantar de mio Cid is the most extensive epic poem, an anonymous text relating the exploits of a historical character.
Stylistic Features
- Minstrel Character: It was composed to be recited, hence the abundance of resources designed to maintain public attention.
- Stylistic Simplicity: Complex elements do not predominate; narrative and drama are combined with simplicity.
Ballads (Romances)
Ballads are formed by a variable number of octosyllabic verses with assonance rhyme in even lines, leaving the odd lines free.
Defining Features
- Sobriety of Resources: Characterized by brief descriptions and a lack of excessive adjectives.
- Oral Nature: Requires the use of devices resulting from oral discourse, such as repetition, apostrophes, and exclamations.
- Fragmentary Structure: Ballads often focus on a specific moment of the action.
Didactic Prose (14th Century)
Prose was initially written in Latin. In the 14th century, prose acquired a strong didactic intent.
Characteristics of Didactic Prose
- Themes and Goal: The primary goal is to teach; the author offers practical lessons.
- Characters: They can be historical, real, ordinary people, or animals with human traits.
- Structure: Typically begins with the approach of a question or problem and ends with a moral teaching as a conclusion.
La Celestina (Fernando de Rojas)
This is a fundamental dramatic work centered on dialogue. Although several titles were considered, La Celestina became the final title.
The work skillfully combines both medieval and Renaissance elements.