Medieval Spanish Literature: Poetry, Prose, and Theater
ITEM 3. Didactic Poetry & Medieval Narrative
Mester de Clerecía
Definition and Origin
This name is given to all works composed by clerics during the 13th and 14th centuries. These works were created in monasteries to teach religious customs to the people as a form of propaganda. The clerics, learned men of the Middle Ages, were knowledgeable in Latin texts and drew inspiration from them. However, they wrote in Castilian.
Features
These texts are mostly religious and ethical. They narrate the lives of saints, miracles of the Virgin Mary, or include moral reflections. The works have a didactic purpose. The stanza employed is the cuaderna vía: four Alexandrine lines (14 syllables) with a single assonance rhyme. These works were transmitted orally, as most people in the 14th century were illiterate. Innovations introduced in these poems include the use of octosyllabic verse alongside the Alexandrine and the cuaderna vía; the introduction of satire, parody, and apologues with religious motifs; and the acquisition of a moralizing and philosophical purpose in the verses.
Authors and Major Works
The most important works of the 13th century are the anonymous ‘Book of Apollonius’ and ‘Book of Alexander’, and the works of Gonzalo de Berceo: Life of Santo Domingo Silos, Life of San Millan de la Cogolla, and Miracles of Our Lady. In the 14th century, Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita, appears with ‘The Book of Good Love’.
Gonzalo de Berceo: Style
Gonzalo de Berceo is the first known Castilian poet. He was aware that he was using a language other than Latin and addressed the people in plain language. He used a simple and clear style, full of popular expressions and sometimes dialectal turns of phrase. His verses contain deep lyricism, realism, and a rural atmosphere where he usually sets his stories. His works are religious, educational, and moralizing, based on Latin sources.
Miracles of Our Lady, his best-known work, consists of stories of miracles that show how the Virgin protects and forgives her devotees, even when they commit sins. It has two parts: an introduction where the narrator is presented as a pilgrim who arrives at a green and flowery meadow representing the Virgin, and a set of 25 miracles with a similar structure: presentation, difficulties, appearance of the Virgin and the miracle, and final reflection.
Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita
Juan Ruiz is the most important author of the 14th century. His work, The Book of Good Love, is a key work of Spanish literature. It is presented as a reflection on the evils of earthly love versus the goodness of divine love. The Archpriest narrates a series of love adventures starring himself, which end disastrously. It is a fictional autobiography in which Juan Ruiz believed the listener would reject earthly love. It is a complex work in its structure and interpretation.
Structure and Performance: It presents a wide range of topics, genres, stanzas, and verses: prologue in prose, love stories, a planto (lament), prayers and songs of praise, a highland epic episode, examples, satires, and moral reflections on various topics. The Archpriest is offered as a model against evil love, but the vital joy of the character, which seems to invite the enjoyment of worldly love, and the entertainment value of the work are also present.
Characteristics: The work displays minstrel and popular traits but follows the rules of the Mester de Clerecía. Some aspects are: metric irregularities, ease and humor, popular speech, lively characters, proverbs, nicknames, rich vocabulary, and realism.
ITEM 4. Birth of Castilian Prose
Ferdinand III (13th Century)
Ferdinand III adopted Castilian as the language of the Foreign Ministry and declared it the official language, giving it prestige and acceptance among the cultured people. However, it was his son, Alfonso X the Wise, who truly promoted and strengthened Castilian.
Alfonso X the Wise (2nd Half of the 13th Century)
Alfonso X decided that Castilian would become the language of government and legal documents, which until then were written in Latin. Under his management and supervision, the School of Translators of Toledo was established, a key cultural center in the Middle Ages where scientists, thinkers, and writers of the three cultures (Jewish, Arab, and Christian) lived. This promoted the writing in prose of all legal documents, historical documents, and the translation of a long tradition of oriental works. With this magnum opus, Alfonso X developed Castilian prose, giving it the capacity to express scientific content.
Works: Historical: General Chronicle, General Estoria, Estoria de España; Law: The Seven Parts; Science: Books of Knowledge and Astronomy, Lapidary; Games: Alfonsine Tables, Book of Chess, Dice, and Tables.
Short Stories
The first Castilian stories were translations of stories collected in Eastern collections. The first two collections of medieval tales are: Kalila and Dimna (moral) and Sendebar or Book of the Delusions of Women (misogynistic).
Don Juan Manuel (14th Century)
The Infante Don Juan Manuel, nephew of Alfonso X, is the highest representative of narrative prose in the 14th century. His notable work is Count Lucanor or Book of Patronio. This book compiles 51 short stories that teach nobles how to behave in managing their lands. Other works by the author are: Abbreviated Chronicle, Book of the Knight and Squire, and Book of States.
Structure of Count Lucanor
The stories, examples, or enxiemplos are independent and structured as follows: the narrator presents the Count and his advisor, Patronio; the Count presents a problem to Patronio; after general advice, Patronio relates a tale from which a lesson can be learned; Patronio reflects on the teaching offered by the tale and advises the Count; the Count accepts the advice; Don Juan Manuel introduces himself, approves the enxiemplo, and composes a moral in verse, a two-line stanza.
Sources and Influences of Count Lucanor
The tales have their source in Arabic and Oriental storytelling and the Christian European tradition. Don Juan Manuel likely knew many from oral tradition and culture.
Style: Don Juan Manuel is a writer with aesthetic consciousness in search of his own style. He aims for clarity and uses familiar words. However, the language shows a lack of fluency and archaisms, as it was still in its infancy.
Themes: The topics must be placed in the context of the Middle Ages. The problems and advice were directed to the nobility. The issues covered are varied, and there is no thematic unity.
Intention of the Work: It has a clear moral teaching intention. Storytelling was the most common expression of moralizing literature. Pleasure and entertainment could lure readers to approach the work and benefit from its lessons.
ITEM 5. Medieval Theater
European medieval drama arose within the liturgical rites of the Christian church. Short religious representations were made in Latin by clerics within the church. Little by little, vernacular religious theater was born. The only known piece in Castilian is the Auto or Representation of the Magi, an incomplete religious play from the mid-to-late 12th century. Its author is anonymous, and it is influenced by some French work. It consists of 147 couplets presenting Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar following the star to Bethlehem and talking to King Herod. It is an ordo estellae: a representation of the Three Wise Men near the altar. This theatrical text is the oldest preserved in a Romance language of the Iberian Peninsula. It is written in Castilian with influences from other Romance languages, especially Gascon and Mozarabic.