Spanish Literature: Ballads and La Celestina
Spanish Ballads: Forms, Themes, and Style
The ballad encompasses a wide range of compositions, including romances, epic poems, and lyrical or epic-lyric poems. These typically feature an undetermined number of eight-syllable lines with assonant rhyme in pairs. Traditional forms and themes have been collected and transmitted orally from generation to generation.
Types of Ballads
- Old Ballads: Anonymous works dating from an unknown source to the mid-sixteenth century.
- New Ballads: Texts written since the mid-sixteenth century by known authors, imitating the style of old romances.
Theories of Transmission
- Traditional Theory: Suggests that ballads originate from epic poems. Minstrels repeated favorite parts, isolating them in song. The ballad verse is believed to derive from the division of the epic verse into two parts.
- Individualistic Theory: Argues that anonymous authors wrote ballads, similar to other forms of poetry.
Cycles and Themes
- National Epic Theme: Derived from the chansons de geste.
- Carolingian Cycle: Inspired by the myths of chivalry, based on the exploits of Charlemagne.
- Granada Border Theme: Narrates events on the border between Christians and Moors.
- Biblical and Classical Antiquity: Inspired by the Bible and classical antiquity.
- Epic-Lyrical: Combines invented themes with romantic and lyrical expressiveness.
Stylistic Characteristics of Ballads
- Singular Metric Mold: Consistent use of a specific metrical structure.
- Tendency Toward Condensation: Over time, the ballad is stripped of superfluous elements, resulting in a more poetic and concise form.
- Frequent Presence of Archaisms: Use of archaic language.
- Peculiar Use of Verbs: Unique verb conjugations and tenses.
- Repetition, Antithesis, and Enumeration: Stylistic devices used for emphasis and effect.
- No Moralizing Intention: Ballads generally lack a didactic or moralistic purpose.
La Celestina: A Realistic Masterpiece
La Celestina marks the introduction of the realistic matchmaker character in Spanish literature.
Authorship
The authorship of La Celestina is debated. In the author’s letter to a friend, it is stated that Fernando de Rojas wrote the first act but found it and decided to continue it.
Genre
The title (comedy or tragicomedy), character dialogue, and absence of narrative parts suggest a play. However, the lack of action, long speeches, overall length (making it virtually unrepresentable), and frequent scene changes lean towards a dramatic novel. Today, it is considered a humanistic comedy, intended for reading aloud rather than performance.
Characters
Characters are distinctly realistic, belonging to different social classes and possessing both defects and virtues.
- Celestina: The most well-drawn and famous character. An amoral, cunning, and greedy old woman who lives off her deceptions. She has an outstanding antecedent in the Book of Good Love.
- Calisto: A wealthy young man in love with Melibea. His only intention is to conquer her, hence his recourse to a matchmaker. He cannot be considered a hero of love or romance but rather an example of a man driven mad by love.
- Melibea: Initially refuses Calisto but gradually falls in love with him. Love becomes the reason for her life. She lives with her parents and protects family honor by loving in secret.
- Pármeno and Sempronio: Reflect the medieval order of vassalage, seeking their own benefit rather than their master’s. They are loyal only to money.