Poetry in the 16th Century: A Transformation of Literary Genres
Historical Changes of Literary Genres: Poetry in the 16th Century
The poetry of this century has been routinely presented as a clash between traditional poets, who remained faithful to the poetic models of song literature, and new Italianate poets seeking to introduce the sensitivity, themes, and forms of Renaissance poetry *winning* in Italy. While it is true that this opposition exists, it must be understood within the enormous diversity of poetry of the period. There are authors found halfway between the root forms of Spanish and Italian innovative poetry, and such a coexistence is even perceived in texts by the same author, as in the case of Garcilaso de la Vega himself. In addition, one cannot deny that these two opposite poles of poetic traditions stem from common previous ones: *courtly love poetry* cultivated by the troubadours and the Petrarchan lyric. Moreover, the confluence of both strands of poetry, with its approaches and disagreements, is enormously rich in 16th-century Hispanic poetry, as evidenced by the spectacular abundance of authors and texts.
The poetry that most people *heard* in the 15th century remained traditional poetry and ballads, which continued to be transmitted orally. But as we saw already in the 15th century, it was also written in several chapbooks and anthologies, which are very numerous throughout the century. In these compilations, very often called songbooks, this popular *cult* poetry lives on, following the line of the song lyric of the previous century: courtly love, convoluted and conceptual expression, etc.
Since the late 1520s and until mid-century, there was an acclimation of new forms and content from Italy. A key date will be 1543, when the works of Juan Boscán and Garcilaso de la Vega, the two pioneers in the defense of Italianate Renaissance poetry, are published posthumously. The rapid spread of their works, especially those of Garcilaso, will contribute decisively to the success of new poetry. This introduces new genres, motifs, themes, verses and stanzas, and a poetic sensibility that is also different.
Classical Influences on Renaissance Poetry
Greco-Roman classical literature is the nursery where Renaissance poets take their genres and themes. Thus, a series of classic topics recur repeatedly in the Renaissance lyric:
- Carpe diem (“Enjoy the day”): A call to seize the moment because life is short, fortunes are variable, and who knows what can happen tomorrow.
- Collige, Virgo, rosas (“Collect, maiden, roses”): A call for a girl to love before time withers her beauty.
- Aurea Mediocritas (“The happy mediocrity”): A moderate praise of life, far from great ambitions and passions that will only lead to worry and unhappiness.
- Beatus Ille (“Happy he”): A longing for retreat away from worldly life, often in contact with nature, a place to find peace and harmony. Another close Renaissance topic would be known as *contempt of court* and *village worship*, on the same grounds that life is weighed in the field to the detriment of the busy and conflicting court life.
Also of classical origin is the remarkable presence of mythology in all this poetry. The mythological heritage gives the poet a considerable array of issues and motives, which are taken either directly from the classics or indirectly through the mythographers, true universal encyclopedic dictionaries very common at the time.
Love in Renaissance Poetry
The pervasive theme of Renaissance poetry is love. But it is now conceived differently than it was in medieval literature. In the sentimental novel, poetry of song, or *La Celestina*, love is essentially a concupiscible passion, a sensual love governed by the passions that ends up with a destructive character. Love in Renaissance literature is influenced by Neoplatonic philosophy. Almost detached from the desires of the flesh, it is now a virtue of understanding, which helps make men better. Through love, man rises from the material to the immaterial: Beyond sensuality, which is pure “material,” contemplation of feminine beauty (and the beauty of nature or musical harmony) allows you to access knowledge of absolute beauty.