15th-Century Spanish Literature: An Overview
15th-Century Spanish Literature
Poetry
Ballads
Romances, a cherished form of Spanish folk poetry, are believed to be derived from chansons de geste. Their structure (eight-syllable lines with assonance rhyme in pairs) originates from epic poems. Categories include historic, border, Breton, Carolingian, romantic, and lyrical ballads. Primitive and minstrel romances belong to the old ballads, while those addressing 16th and 17th-century themes are considered new romances.
Learned and Courtly Poetry
Popular Castilian lyrics and romances evolved into courtly poetry, influenced by Provençal troubadour poetry (short lines and love themes) and Dante’s allegorical Italian poetry. This poetry is preserved in songbooks like the Baena and Stúñiga collections. Notable poets include:
- Marquis of Santillana: His work is categorized as Provençal-influenced poetry, Italian-influenced poetry, and moral-didactic poetry. His most famous work is Serranilla.
- Juan de Mena: A contemporary of the Marquis of Santillana, his most important work is Laberinto de Fortuna (also known as The Three Hundred), which follows Dante’s allegorical style.
Dance of Death
The 15th century features the unique and anonymous Spanish Dance of Death, a genre prevalent in European medieval literature. In it, a skeleton summons individuals to a dance.
Jorge Manrique
The most significant poet of the late 15th century, Manrique’s poetry is divided into love poetry (influenced by Petrarch) and Verses for the Death of His Father, the work that brought him fame. Common themes in the Coplas include the fleeting nature of life, life as a river flowing towards the divine, Ubi sunt? (Where are they?), death as the great equalizer, and the pursuit of fame and honor. The poem comprises 40 stanzas in the *coplas manriqueñas* style.
Prose
Amadis of Gaul (c. 1492)
The most renowned chivalric novel in Castilian, Amadis of Gaul likely existed in the 14th century before being revised and expanded by Rodríguez de Montalvo.
The Sentimental Novel
This idealist subgenre flourished in Spain from the mid-15th to mid-16th centuries. Characterized by sentimental passions and courtly love conventions, these novels feature a lover devoted to a virtuous and beautiful lady. The language is elaborate, filled with rhetorical devices. Often tragic, a representative work is Diego de San Pedro’s Prison of Love (1492).
La Celestina (1499)
A cornerstone of Spanish literature, the first edition appeared anonymously in 1499 with 16 acts. Later editions, titled Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea, expanded to 21 acts. Its genre is debated, with some considering it dramatic and others narrative. The story follows Calisto’s love for Melibea and the intervention of Celestina, who unites them. Calisto’s servants, Pármeno and Sempronio, are executed for murdering Celestina. Their lovers, Elicia and Areúsa, plot revenge against Calisto and Melibea. Calisto dies accidentally, and Melibea commits suicide. The play concludes with her father’s lament. The language varies, reflecting the social class of the characters, from the cultured language of Calisto and Melibea to the more colloquial speech of the servants and Celestina’s manipulative rhetoric. La Celestina is considered a bridge between medieval and Renaissance mentalities.