Renaissance Poetry in 16th-Century Spain
Introduction
During the 16th century, Castilian lyric poetry underwent a renewal by incorporating Italian forms.
Principal Developments
In terms of Metrics:
- Use of the hendecasyllable and heptasyllable.
- Use of the sonnet as the predominant verse form.
In terms of Topics:
- Love, especially unrequited love and the melancholy sadness it inspires, is the principal theme.
- Nature is the scenario for amorous laments.
- Classical mythology appears in many compositions, with stories often compared to the poet’s own
20th Century Spanish Literature: From Dictatorship to Democracy
Spanish Literature in the 20th Century
The Dictatorial Regime (1936-1975)
After the Civil War (1939-1949)
Consequences of the war:
- Strong repression of Republican supporters.
- Suppression of basic rights.
- Rigid censorship.
- Complete break with previous literary trends.
- Exile of many writers.
- Existentialist angst and uprooting as dominant themes.
The 1950s
Spain opens up to the outside world:
- Firm U.S. cooperation agreement.
- Spain’s entry into the UN.
Consequences:
- Critical attitude towards the hostile environment.
The Generation of ’27: Spanish Avant-Garde
The Generation of ’27
Avant-Garde: The Generation of 27
In 1927, a meeting was held at the Ateneo de Sevilla to commemorate the tercentenary of the death of Góngora. The meeting was attended by a group of authors who admired him for the development of his poetic language. This date is used to name them as a group or Generation of ’27.
Everyone had a great intellectual formation; several were university professors. They held a cordial relationship and often collaborated on the same literary magazines,
Read MoreSpanish Romantic & Realist Literature: Overview & Analysis
Spanish Romantic & Realist Literature
Lyric Poetry
Romantic lyric poetry exhibited heightened subjectivism, with poets pouring their emotions into nature and landscapes to reflect their souls. Love and religious themes were common. Poems often lacked separate meters and stanzas, and frequent rhythmic changes demonstrated freedom through varied metrics. José de Espronceda, Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, and Rosalía de Castro were prominent figures, creating more sensitive and intimate works compared
Read MoreSpanish Literature of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods
The Renaissance (16th Century)
Poetry: Rebirth
1. Italianate Petrarchist Poetry: Garcilaso de la Vega
The Italian Petrarchist model influenced the poetry of the 16th century. Authors like Boscan and Garcilaso adopted this style.
Subjects:
- Love: Sometimes it serves as a source of dissatisfaction and sadness, and sometimes as a regenerating and purifying spirit. Love is expressed towards a beloved who has exceptional beauty, a reflection of divinity. The divinization of the beloved becomes an almost religious
Golden Age of Spanish Literature: Authors and Works
Fray Luis de León
The work of Fray Luis de León, Textos en prosa, includes religious translations and characterizations of the classical position and the Bible, plus original poems. In public life, he reconciled his position with classical and Renaissance ideals and religious character, which he cultivated in his prose works. He wrote around 40 poems.
Positive influence on three currents of thought:
- Neoplatonism: Rejected the idealized vision of the universe and love. Nature is impossible to perceive