Spanish Literature: A Medieval Journey

Posted on Sep 30, 2024 in Latin

Literature

Nature of Literary Phenomena

Literature comprises texts developed with artistic intention. It is an art using language units (prayers, words, morphemes, and sounds) that writers manipulate to produce aesthetic and emotional effects on the reader. Fiction designates the unique relationship between literary works and the real world. Literature imitates reality, inspired by it, but isn’t an exact copy. A work’s value lies not in its truth or falsehood, but in its plausibility (illusion of reality).

Functions and Channels of Literature

Literature entertains and transmits ideas throughout history. Literary works are classified into genres.

Imitation and Fiction

The relationship with reality defines literary phenomena. Literature imitates reality; it’s inspired by the real world but isn’t a replica. Analyze works based on plausibility, not truth or falsehood.

Values of Literature

Art aims to affect its audience. Literature’s primary function is to bring readers delight or pleasure (especially narratives). Many literary works aim to teach and convey ideas or worldviews. Literature often combines instruction and pleasure.

Receiving the Literary Message

Literary Communication

Every literary work is communication between sender (author) and receiver (reader). Context is crucial for understanding (the writing’s historical situation often differs from the reading time). A work’s value is enriched by diverse readings throughout history.

Literary Language

Authors draw readers’ attention to the text itself as an aesthetic construct. Verse uses small units with special rhythm, measured syllables, accent distribution, and rhyme. Prose lacks a fixed rhythmic pattern.

Literature frequently uses literary devices—expressive techniques deviating from common language use for aesthetic purposes.

Literary Genres

Genres evolve over time. Main genres: epic, lyric, dramatic, and didactic (18th century).

Epic Genre

An author presents characters’ actions. A narrator, sometimes outside the plot, is present. Time is essential (Prolepsis: anticipating events. Analepsis: recounting prior events).

Narrative in Verse:

  • Epic: Lengthy poem about heroic deeds, often related to origins or myths.
  • Chanson de Geste: Medieval epic poem recounting real or fictional heroes’ exploits.
  • Epic Poem: Works by educated authors emulating classical epics.

Narrative in Prose:

  • Novel: Long story with complex characters developing psychologically throughout the story. Combines patterns, time, and place.
  • Tale: Short, simple story with simple characters and linear events, primarily for entertainment.

Lyric Genre

Characterized by the lyrical “I” expressing intimate feelings. Aims to evoke aesthetic emotion. Primarily in verse, but also prose poems. Forms include: ode, composition, elegy, epistle, romance, and sonnet.

Dramatic Genre

Works written for public performance. Two dimensions: dramatic text (dialogue and stage directions) and the performance.

  • Comedy: Happy ending, ordinary characters.
  • Tragedy: Unhappy ending, characters facing fate.
  • Tragicomedy: Mixes ordinary and extraordinary characters, sad and funny events.

Medieval Poetry

Oral Tradition Poetry

Castilian prose originated late. Educated people preferred Latin. Anonymous poetry, sung and transmitted orally, became traditional.

Lyrical Poetry

Characterized by simplicity and concentrated details, creating mystery. Forms: jarchas, Christmas carols, and Cantigas de Amigo.

  • Jarchas: Short stanzas (5-6 lines) mixing Arabic and Romance, appearing at the end of Arabic poems called moaxajas.
  • Cantigas de Amigo: Parallelistic stanzas chained by repeating a verse with slight variations.
  • Carols: Short Castilian poems with two parts: ESTIBILLO (2-4 opening lines stating the theme) and GLOSS (stanzas developing the theme).

Epic Poetry

12th-13th century minstrels recited epic poems extolling heroes’ exploits.

The Romance

Emerged after epic songs declined. Popular genre spread orally. Poem with varying length, eight-syllable verses, rhyming pairs, odd verses generally loose, assonant rhyme. Emphasizes affective communication.

Style of Romance:

  • Essentiality: Simplicity for maximum expression.
  • Fragmentary character: Scenes from a larger story.
  • Simple syntax and archaic language.
  • Dialogue incorporation.
  • Frequent exclamations, questions, and references to the listener.
  • Fixed formulas like epic epithets.

Types of Romance:

  • Historical Romances: Recount Castilian epic events.
  • Carolingian and British Romances: Based on French and British epic tales.
  • Morisco Romances: Narrate events on the Castilian-Muslim border.

Mester de Clerecía

Didactic, cultured narrative poems from the 13th-14th centuries, using cuaderna vía (four Alexandrine verses with consonant rhyme).

15th-Century Learned Poetry

Focuses on didactic moral and amorous themes, drawing on courtly love tradition. Highly verbal and conceptual.

Prose

Origin of Literary Prose

No Castilian literary prose existed until the 13th century.

Alfonso X

“The Wise” enriched Castilian language and culture, translating information from Latin and Arabic. His prose covers historical, legal, scientific, and entertainment topics.

15th-Century Prose

Remarkable development: biographies, chronicles, etc. Ornate syntax, Latinate glossary, and cultural allusions, but some works use vernacular language.

  • Sentimental Novels: Analyze love through exchanged letters, often with unhappy endings.
  • Romances: Amorous adventures of a knight errant seeking extraordinary adventures.

15th-Century Theater

Intense dramatic activity, linked to religious holidays.

Celestina

Masterpiece blending loving idealism, bourgeois city life, high-born characters, and servants’ world. Reflects medieval thought and emerging Renaissance sensibilities.

Mode

Mode conveys information through subject-predicate relations, speaker’s intention, and how we interpret the utterance.

Mode Indicators:

  • Intonation
  • Modal adverbs (hopefully, maybe)
  • Infinitive periphrasis with verbal auxiliaries (can, must, may)
  • Verbs

Types of Mode (Speaker’s Purpose):

  1. Declarative (inform)
  2. Interrogative (seek information)
  3. Imperative (influence behavior)
  4. Exclamatory (emphasize)

Types of Mode (Speaker’s Attitude):

  1. Optative (desire)
  2. Desiderative (doubt)
  3. Obligation (duty)
  4. Possibility