Spanish Literary Forms: Ballads and La Celestina
Ballads: Characteristics and Origins
Ballads are short epic-lyrical poems, generally composed to be written or sung with music. They are written in eight-syllable verses with assonance rhyme, often leaving odd verses unrhymed.
Source and Transmission
The origin dates back to the second half of the 14th century. Epics began to lose importance, and only famous passages remained in memory, leading to the romances. The hemistichs from Cantares de Gesta verses are considered the source of the romance.
Their transmission was octosyllabic and primarily oral, resulting in two types:
- Traditional: Collective creation, often anonymous.
- Individualistic: Composed by a single author.
Themes of Ballads
- History: Narrate recent historical events.
- Border and Moors: Historical events related to the Reconquista, often narrated by a Moor with positive qualities.
- Epic: Featuring characters related to Cantares de Gesta.
- Novelistic: A story, sometimes without a clear plot.
- Lyrical: Focused on the theme of love.
Romanceros: Collections of Ballads
Romanceros are analyzed according to their themes, authorship, and intention:
- Romancero Viejo (Old Ballad Collection): Traditional texts, both oral and anonymous.
- Romancero Nuevo (New Ballad Collection): Romances written by known authors with artistic intention.
Stylistic Features of Ballads
Ballads have a characteristic style that distinguishes them from epics. Key features include:
- Preference for action over description.
- Dialogic structure, with conversations.
- Beginning in media res (in the middle of the action).
- Truncated or abruptly resolved endings.
- Employment of archaisms.
- Replacement of past verbal forms with present tense to bring the tale closer.
- Use of repetitions.
- Interrogations and exclamations to increase dramatic effect.
La Celestina by Fernando de Rojas
Publication History
First published in 1499 as Comedia de Calisto y Melibea with 16 acts. The second edition in 1500 included the author’s prologue, stating he found the first act already written and continued it. The 1502 edition, titled Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea, added 5 more acts.
Genre Classification
A hybrid work, combining elements of a play and a novel.
Novelistic Features
- Its extensive framework.
- The psychological development of characters.
- Its difficulty to stage.
Theatrical Features
- Absence of a narrator.
- Direct dialogue between characters.
- Celestina follows theatrical models of the period (influenced by Latin theater).
- It is a humanistic comedy (intended for reading).
Key Characters
- Calisto: A Don Juan figure, selfish, portrayed negatively, living a life of leisure without obligations. A flat character who does not change.
- Melibea: An evolutionary character who changes according to events. She is much more sincere with her parents.
- Pleberio: Melibea’s wealthy merchant father, concerned for his daughter.
- Alisa: Melibea’s mother. She shows little concern for her daughter, caring only about maintaining their social status.
- Celestina: The central character of the work. She stands out for her intelligence and her ability to navigate different social worlds of the era. Her work, greed, and actions lead to her death.
- Servants: Aware of their social class, they confront their masters and are motivated by self-interest.
Major Themes
- Love: Affects nearly all characters. Initially courtly and ideal, it transforms into carnal and sexual love.
- Death: Affects both protagonists. It can be interpreted as a punishment for negative behavior.
- The Transience of Life
- Greed
- Class Struggle
Stylistic Elements
- Dialogue: The way characters express themselves reveals their social class and individual traits.
- Linguistic Richness: The author’s intention to create a unique style, with careful word choice and linguistic richness.
Author’s Intent and Message
- Pessimism: Characters face evil circumstances, leading to a tragic sense of life.
- Individualism: Strong personal interest, greed, and lack of compassion.
- Moralizing: Characters are punished for their illicit and bold love.