Spanish Renaissance & Baroque Poetry: Key Figures & Styles
Renaissance Lyric: Garcilaso de la Vega
In Renaissance lyric poetry, there is a separation between the natural and the supernatural; poets clearly distinguished the human from the divine. Most metrical forms used by Renaissance poets originated in Italy.
Garcilaso de la Vega (1501-1536) belonged to a noble family. He was both a knight and a poet. He masterfully expressed his feelings of love for his muse (Isabel Freyre). He traveled often to Italy and introduced the most common Italian metric forms into Spanish poetry (such as tercets and the lira) and poems (like the sonnet and the song). Garcilaso adapted his poetry to the Renaissance ideal, influenced by Petrarch, including:
- Idealized Nature: Love complaints are often set in a locus amoenus (an idealized natural place).
- Sublimated Love: The figure of the beloved is presented in an idealized manner.
- Carpe Diem: The theme urges the beautiful woman to enjoy her youth before age affects her.
Religious Lyric Poetry
In the second half of the 16th century, religious poetry emerged prominently in Spanish literature, spurred by the Counter-Reformation, which gave religious beliefs great importance. The three main poets are: Fray Luis de León, San Juan de la Cruz, and Santa Teresa de Jesús. In their poems, these writers did not reject the themes and forms typical of their time but replaced the human beloved with the divine.
The relationship with God could be established in two ways:
- Asceticism: The poet strives to purify their soul to reach God, rejecting worldly things.
- Mysticism: The soul, chosen by God, comes into direct contact with Him. All mystics must first have been ascetics.
Fray Luis de León was primarily an ascetic poet, while San Juan de la Cruz and Santa Teresa de Jesús were mystical poets.
Fray Luis de León
Fray Luis (1527-1591) belonged to the Salamancan school. His poems summarized the Christian Renaissance ideal. Horace and Virgil were his literary models. Petrarch also influenced his work, which used new Italian-style metrical forms (like the lira). The Bible was also a major source of inspiration. His poetic output is short but of high quality. Notable poems include “Ode to the Ascension” and “Serene Night”. His style is deceptively simple and austere, although his syntax often used overlapping structures. His passion is reflected in numerous exclamations and interjections.
San Juan de la Cruz
San Juan (1542-1591) lived and communicated his mystical experiences of encountering God. To reach this point, the soul must pass through three stages:
- The Purgative Way: The soul, through penance, detaches from earthly things.
- The Illuminative Way: The soul receives divine knowledge that illuminates it.
- The Unitive Way: By God’s grace, the soul unites with Him, reaching mystical ecstasy.
His major works include three long poems:
- Spiritual Canticle: Presents the encounter and dialogue between the Soul (bride) and God (bridegroom).
- Dark Night of the Soul: Describes the soul’s journey towards union with God.
- Living Flame of Love: Uses paradoxes to express the complex mixture of pain and pleasure in the divine encounter.
Baroque Literary Characteristics
Baroque literature featured specific traits:
- Difficulty: Beauty was often identified with complexity and intellectual challenge. Works could be intentionally difficult, appealing to a refined audience.
- Complexity: Use of intricate forms of expression and elaborate syntax.
- Stylistic Resources: Abundant use of literary figures (metaphors, hyperbaton, etc.).
- Contrasts: Juxtaposition of opposing concepts (e.g., beauty/ugliness, light/dark, love/hate).
- Exaggeration: Seeking to provoke extraordinary admiration or astonishment through hyperbole.
- Mythological Allusions: Frequent references requiring knowledge of classical myths for full understanding.
Baroque Literature vs. Renaissance Literature
There is continuity between the Renaissance and Baroque periods, not a complete break. This continuity is evident in:
- Continuation of translations and imitations of classical and Italian models.
- Use of mythological themes.
- Use of established genres like pastoral and picaresque narratives.
- Maintenance of Renaissance metrical forms (sonnet, lira, etc.).
However, a shift in sensibility also led to variations characteristic of the Baroque:
- Search for an innovative, often elitist style, not easily understood by all.
- Intensification and abundance of complex poetic imagery.
- The pervasive theme of disillusionment (desengaño), reflecting on life’s brevity and vanity.
- An often ironic or sarcastic approach to themes.
- Renewed cultivation of traditional Spanish metrical forms, especially romances (ballads).