Medieval Spanish Literature: Genres, Culture, and Authors
Medieval Spanish Literature
Topic 11: Literary Genres
Literary genres are categories established by tradition that allow us to classify literary works by their common characteristics. These genres have evolved over time. The literary tradition established during the classical era identified three major genres: epic, lyric, dramatic, and didactic.
1. Epic or Narrative Genre
This genre includes works in which an author recounts the facts and actions of characters. The narrator is fundamental. Prolepsis: the author anticipates events. Analepsis: the author recounts previous events.
a) Narrative Subgenres in Verse:
- Epic: An epic poem of great length that narrates heroic deeds, usually related to the fundamental origins of a community. (e.g., Iliad and Odyssey by Homer).
- Cantar de Gesta: Composed in the Middle Ages. It narrates the exploits of a real or fictional hero. These songs emerged from epic poems (e.g., Cantar del Mio Cid).
- Epic Poem: Epics from the classical era (e.g., Orlando Furioso).
b) Narrative Subgenres in Prose:
- Novel: A long story featuring characters of a complex nature who often show some psychological evolution throughout the story. It may have diverse plots.
- Short Story: Short and simple stories in which the characters are characterized in a very basic way and the facts are presented linearly.
2. Lyric Genre
Characterized by the expression of intimate feelings. The voice expresses the poet’s emotions. The most representative form of lyric is verse, but it can also be found in prose. The forms of lyric poetry are diverse, including the song, ode, elegy, and epistle.
3. Dramatic Genre
This genre consists of works written to be performed on a stage before an audience by showing the actions and voices of the characters without the intervention of the author. The text is dramatic, and there is a representation. Regarding the plot:
- Comedy: Characterized by a happy ending.
- Tragedy: Characterized by a sad ending.
- Tragicomedy or Drama: A mixed subgenre with both sad and happy events.
4. Didactic Genre
Its purpose is the teaching or dissemination of ideas expressed artistically.
- Essay: A large work in which the author gives an exposition of their ideas about a specific topic.
- Dialogue: A classical form widely cultivated in the Renaissance period that allows the author to present their ideas through a discussion between several characters.
Topic 12: Mentality and Culture in the Middle Ages
Mentality and Culture in the Middle Ages
Society was theocratic, with religious transcendence exerting considerable influence in all aspects of life.
Pre-Renaissance Humanism
The social crisis that occurred in the 15th century changed the way of seeing the world and ushered in a more worldly mentality that revolved around the idea of enjoying life. The invention of printing contributed to the diffusion of new ideas. Books became cheaper, and reading became an individual act.
Literature and Society in the Middle Ages
Texts were written by hand in a long and costly process. Transmission was often oral. Literature was used to accompany music. Most works were anonymous.
The Literature of the 15th Century
The crisis of the time made the themes of fortune, love, and death central. La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas is a significant work. The change in attitude of the nobility, who became more educated and developed a refined literature, also influenced literature. Poetry without a doctrinal purpose flourished: Cancionero poetry, romances, and chivalry.
Topic 13: Medieval Poetry
Oral Tradition Poetry
Cultured people chose Latin as the vehicle for written works and avoided the use of Romance. The transmission of literature, especially poetry, was primarily oral. Oral poetry was anonymous. The work often felt like community property and was transformed into a traditional piece. The major transmitters were the minstrels.
Lyric Poetry (Major Medieval Forms of Poetry)
- Jarchas: Evidence of Romance lyric in Al-Andalus (Muslim Spain). Short stanzas of no more than 5 or 6 verses composed in a mixture of vulgar Arabic and Romance at the end of Moaxajas.
- Cantigas de Amigo: Poetry consisting of several stanzas chained by a parallelistic structure in which a verse of one stanza is repeated in the following with minimal variations.
- Villancicos: Short poems composed in verses of art, usually with two parts: chorus and gloss.
Romance
A poem composed of a variable number of eight-syllable verses, rhyming in pairs. The odd verses are generally unrhymed. The rhyme is generally assonant. The style of the romances is characterized by simplicity. Many romances only recount a scene or the culminating episode of a longer story. They are characterized by the following features:
- A simple syntax and archaic language that give them an unmistakable tone.
- The incorporation of dialogue as a means of dramatization.
- Frequent references to the presence of the listener.
- Fixed formulas and epithets, like in epic poems.
Classification of Romances
- Historical
- Carolingian and Breton
- Border and Moorish
- Romantic and Lyrical
15th-Century Cult Poetry
Numerous collections of poems called Cancioneros. Cancioneril poetry has two main themes: moral and amorous. The latter is inserted into the troubadour tradition of courtly love. It is an abstract poem. Notable authors include Juan de Santillana, the Marqués de Santillana, and Jorge Manrique.
Topic 14: Medieval Prose
The Origins of Literary Prose
The vernacular prose was used as an intermediary in the translation from Arabic to Latin. Alfonso X of Castile made Castilian a language of culture.
Alfonso X
He ascended to the throne of Castile in 1252. He carried out great cultural work that earned him the nickname “the Wise.” His work enriched the Castilian lexicon and syntax. Castilian became the official language.
The Beginnings of Prose Fiction
Castilian prose fiction dates back to the 13th century with collections of tales and fables of oriental origin. These were didactic stories that were very successful in Europe in the 14th century.
The Prose of the 15th Century
Most of the works are characterized by ornate syntax and a glossary plagued by Latinisms and cultural allusions. From a literary standpoint, the most remarkable aspect of the prose of this century is the triumph of fiction, which is channeled through two genres:
Sentimental Novels
These novels focus on the detailed analysis of the feeling of love, which is manifested through the exchange of love letters. The best example is Cárcel de amor by Diego de San Pedro.
Chivalric Romances
These novels revolve around the adventures of a warrior and loving knight-errant. The protagonist is always an exceptional being who travels through forests and chivalrous castles. The genre reached its greatest popularity in the 16th century, when countless novels of this type were published.
Topic 15: Medieval Drama
Pre-Theater of the 15th Century
The only known play before the 15th century is the Auto de los Reyes Magos, written in the mid-12th century.
Theater of the 15th Century
Intense dramatic activity, often linked to religious holidays like Christmas and Easter.
Juan del Encina
Considered the father of Spanish theater. He wrote several pieces on religious and amorous subjects, often performed during festive occasions. Encina’s theater was followed by other authors who carried out their work in the 16th century, especially Lucas Fernández and Gil Vicente.
Other Important Authors and Works
Gonzalo de Berceo
The first Castilian author whose name we know. He wrote several works of religious origin, such as Milagros de Nuestra Señora. Berceo’s style is simple, although he uses numerous Latin words. He presents himself as a minstrel.
The Book of Good Love
Written by Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita (Guadalajara). It recounts several love affairs in the first person. It is a story where several autobiographical, narrative, and lyrical episodes compose a long poem of about 2000 stanzas. It tells of the love affairs of Don Melón and Doña Endrina, with the mediation of the old procuress Trotaconventos, and the allegorical battle between Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma. All the carnal elements of the book are subordinate to the central theme: love and its deceptions. It is difficult to know whether the work is didactic or entertaining. It has a lyrical and picturesque language and is one of the summits of medieval Spanish literature.
The Marquis de Santillana
Íñigo López de Mendoza was one of the most powerful nobles of the first half of the 14th century. He wrote several allegorical poems, mainly on amorous themes. Notable works include Comedieta de Ponza and the Serranillas.
Juan de Mena
Considered by his contemporaries as the greatest poet of his time. He cultivated love poetry and moral allegory with a heavily Latinate language.
The Song of the Cid
The poem consists of about 3700 verses grouped into series called tiradas. The verses are irregular in terms of the number of syllables and are divided into two hemistichs by a caesura or pause. The rhyme is assonant. The poem is divided into three parts: the Song of Exile, the Song of the Wedding, and the Song of the Affront of Corpes. The Song of the Cid is characterized by its verisimilitude. It uses fixed formulas, characteristic of epic poems, which are expressions that are repeated regularly, appealing to the listener. Among these fixed epithets, it is worth highlighting the epic formulas that allow the naming and identification of the characters through a specific quality.
Jorge Manrique: Coplas por la muerte de su padre
Manrique wrote various compositions that follow the patterns of Cancionero love poetry. However, he owes his fame to one work: the Coplas a la muerte de su padre (Stanzas on the Death of his Father), Don Rodrigo Manrique. The Coplas are an elegy in which various elements combine to form an original poem within a traditional framework. The poem is usually divided into three parts. The entire composition is characterized by great simplicity, both in language and in the verse form called”couplets” The meter is 40 stanzas of eight-syllable verses with the rhyme scheme: 8a 8b 4c 8b 4c – 8d 8e 4f 8d 8e 4f.
Don Juan Manuel, the Count
The most relevant Castilian prose writer of the 14th century. He wrote several didactic works, some of them conceived as narrative fiction. His most important book is El Conde Lucanor (Count Lucanor), also known as Libro de Patronio (Book of Patronio). It is the most prominent work of Don Juan Manuel and is part of a tradition that combines entertainment and teaching. The author claims to instruct a wide audience while entertaining them. He uses narrative elements and fictional examples. The work consists of a collection of 51 examples and stories, complemented by a set of proverbs and a treatise on the salvation of the soul. All the stories serve the same narrative framework: Count Lucanor consults his mentor and advisor, Patronio, about a problem, and Patronio responds with a story that illustrates a particular way of acting.
Fernando de Rojas: La Celestina
The author states that he found the first act already written and decided to continue the work, which he finished in fifteen days of vacation. The author of the first act remains unknown. The first edition was published in 1499 in Burgos. The narrative axis of the work is the love between Calisto and Melibea. Calisto, a young unemployed man from a good family, falls in love with Melibea after accidentally meeting her. However, Melibea rejects him. Advised by one of his servants, Calisto decides to use the services of a procuress, Celestina, although another of his servants, Pármeno, warns him against the old woman. Celestina manages to win the cooperation of Pármeno with the help of Areúsa, a prostitute and Elicia’s companion, who is also Sempronio’s lover. Celestina then uses her great powers of persuasion and magic to change Melibea’s will. In payment for her services, Calisto gives a gold chain to Celestina, who is killed by Pármeno and Sempronio because she refuses to share the reward with them. The servants are caught while trying to flee with Melibea. Calisto, upon hearing a commotion near the wall of Melibea’s garden, falls and dies. Melibea commits suicide by jumping from a tower. The work ends with the lament of her father.
The main themes are love, fortune, and death. It reflects the individualism characteristic of the Renaissance. There is a moralizing intention and existential pessimism. In the preface, the author gives evidence of a bitter and despairing vision of life. La Celestina is written in dialogue form, following the model of humanistic comedy, a genre born in Italian universities that imitated Latin theater. The work has features that bring it closer to the novel, such as its length and the existence of dramatic scenes that do not necessarily contribute to the plot’s development.