15th-Century Spanish Literature: A Transition and Transformation
15th-Century Spanish Literature
A Period of Transition
Literary historians view the 15th and early 16th centuries as a long transitional period. Medieval genres, styles, and themes slowly evolved, influenced by Italian Humanism.
Diverse Literary Manifestations
- Learned Poetry: Influenced by Provençal troubadour lyric poetry and Dante’s Divine Comedy, this allegorical style featured prominent authors like Juan de Mena, the Marquis de Santillana, and Jorge Manrique. These poems were often collected in songbooks, showcasing diverse verses and themes, especially love.
- Folk Poetry (Romances): These shorter poems, collected in ballads, gained popularity.
- La Celestina: A groundbreaking work of dialogue-driven literature, though not intended for performance.
15th-Century History and Society
The 15th century marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the modern age in Europe. In Spain, this shift coincided with the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. Their unification of Castile and Aragon, along with internal organization and territorial unity, transformed Spain into a modern state.
15th-Century Culture
The invention of printing facilitated the dissemination of literary texts. Significantly, the laity gained access to literature. Humanism, the revival of Greek and Latin humanities (history, grammar, and literature), flourished. Reading, translating, and commenting on these classical works fostered a new anthropocentric worldview, challenging the theocentric perspective of the Middle Ages.
Key Figures and Works
Jorge Manrique
A nobleman and active participant in the civil wars of his time, Manrique balanced his military dedication with literary pursuits. He wrote love poetry in the songbook tradition but is best known for his elegy dedicated to his father: Coplas por la muerte de su padre (Verses on the Death of His Father).
Romances
These short compositions, with varying numbers of eight-syllable verses, rhyming in pairs (assonance in even lines, consonant rhyme in odd lines), were originally sung or recited with musical accompaniment. These anonymous epic or lyrical poems, transmitted orally, exist in various versions and are considered collective works. Key features include:
- Simplicity and brevity, creating poetic intensity
- Direct presentation of reality (especially in epic romances)
- Repetitive figures (anaphora, parallelism)
- Emphasis on action over description
- Frequent use of dialogue
Types of Romances
- Epic Romances: Inspired by epic poems, often featuring historical or legendary figures.
- Historical Romances: Based on documented events in medieval Spain, including border conflicts during the Reconquista.
- Lyrical and Romantic Romances: Expressing romantic feelings or narrating real or fantastical adventures, often blending lyrical and romantic elements.
La Celestina
Published in Burgos in 1499 as Comedia de Calisto y Melibea, and later in an extended version (Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea), this work is attributed to Fernando de Rojas. Rojas claimed to have written the work based on a first act by an unknown author. He stated his moral purpose was to warn against the dangers of obsessive love and the deception of procuresses and servants.
Plot
Calisto falls in love with Melibea and, after being rejected, enlists the services of Celestina, a bawd. Despite warnings from his servant Parmeno, Calisto proceeds, and Celestina facilitates a relationship between the two. Celestina’s greed leads to her murder by Calisto’s servants. Calisto dies accidentally, and Melibea commits suicide. The play concludes with Pleberio’s lament, a complaint against fate and love.
Characters
The characters are divided into two classes: the nobles (Calisto and Melibea) and the servants (Celestina, Parmeno, Sempronius). However, all are driven by their passions and interests. The servants’ loyalty to their masters, a medieval societal cornerstone, has eroded. Key characters include:
- Calisto: Obsessed with love, lacking authority, and ultimately selfish.
- Melibea: A complex character, strong and in control, yet deeply in love.
- Celestina: The dominant figure, manipulative and driven by greed.
Language and Theme
La Celestina features a variety of language, from learned and complex sentences to colloquial and vulgar speech, reflecting the characters’ social status and the dynamic nature of their interactions. While the preface suggests a moral reading, the work explores powerful passions, love, death, and the complexities of human consciousness.
European Literature: Petrarch
Francesco Petrarca, a highly influential Italian humanist, authored Il Canzoniere (The Songbook), a collection of love poems dedicated to Laura. These poems explore Petrarch’s feelings and create a theory of love inspired by courtly love: the beloved’s beauty reflects absolute beauty, and love, even unrequited, ennobles the lover. The poems are divided into”In Lif” and”In Death” reflecting Laura’s fate.