15th Century Spanish Literature: Crisis and Transformation
Pre-Renaissance (15th Century)
The Crisis of the Fifteenth Century
Medieval structures in the world are staggering. The social organization becomes more complex, and the system begins to break from the bourgeoisie. Theocentrism yields to other visions of the universe, such as anthropocentrism, and there is a profound religious crisis. Politically, there was general instability, with kings facing problems with Jews and converts. Literature reflects this chaotic scene.
The New Models: Italian Influence and Themes
Spanish literature began to be influenced by Italian models and themes.
The Literary Language: Key Features
- Expands the lexicon with cultism, Italianisms, and Gallicisms.
- Sentences are longer and more complex.
- Increased use of adjectives.
Literary Themes
- Love and Death: Death was significant because it was ever-present due to war, touting the so-called memento mori (remember death). The welfare of the bourgeoisie produces greater fear. The theme of ubi sunt? (where are those who…?) represents death as a constant threat to a person’s fortune, fame, and social standing.
- Political and Social Satire: Literature reflects the social and political anxieties of the time through satire.
The Traditional Lyric
Traditional lyric poetry was passed down orally among the people since time immemorial. This includes genres like:
- Jarchas
- Ballads (from Galicia, Catalonia)
- Carols (cançó)
Topics
- Love
- Nature (plants)
- Dirges (funeral songs)
- Mayas (songs dedicated to the month of May)
- Albas (songs dedicated to dawn)
- Work songs
- Celebration songs (Cancinos)
- Burlesque songs (Cancinos meant for humor and entertainment)
The Cultured Lyric
The nobility became amateur patrons of the arts and letters, leading to the birth of palace poetry inspired by courtly love. This poetry follows a rigid code:
- The poet-lover falls for a high-class woman who is unattainable.
- The woman’s name is kept secret.
- The lover’s sorrow stems from not being with the lady.
- Love is unwavering and absolute.
Songbooks collected not only learned poetry but also traditional, anonymous lyrics, often reworked by educated authors who imitated the popular style.
Marqués de Santillana
- Introduced the sonnet to Spanish literature.
- Gave prestige to traditional forms like the serranillas.
Works
- Italian Influences: Comedieta of Ponza of lovers, Italian Sonnets deeds mode (aimed to follow Dante’s allegorical style).
- Moral-Didactic Works: Dialogue Bias contra Fortuna (explored themes of fortune and the futility of earthly pursuits).
- Troubadour Influence: Songs and Sayings, Serranillas (adopted the serranilla form but introduced wit and humor).
Juan de Mena
Poetry
- Courtesan Poetry: Brief compositions, often in short verses, following the conventions of courtly love.
- Italianate Poetry: More complex and allegorical, aimed at a learned audience. Examples include Escuro Sure, the Coronation of the Marques de Santillana, and the Labyrinth of Fortune.
Jorge Manrique
Known as the “poet warrior” for his passion for both arms and letters.
Work
- Love Poetry: Troubadour style, simple language, restrained use of allegory and Latinism.
- Moral Poetry: Continued the tradition of songs with ironic and critical moral themes.
- Elegiac Poetry: Verses on the Death of His Father is his most famous work, a masterpiece of the Spanish elegy.
Structure and Content of “Verses on the Death of His Father”
- Couplets I-XIII: General reflections on the transience of life and the universality of death. Topics include time, death, and fortune.
- Couplets XIX-XXIV: Manrique laments the deaths of famous people of his time, using the ubi sunt? motif.
- Couplets XXV-XL: Focuses on his father, praising his virtues and accomplishments. Depicts death as a crowning achievement for a virtuous life. Don Rodrigo (his father) accepts death and attains eternal life.
The Ballads (Romances)
The main manifestation of popular Spanish literature. Epic-lyric poems with a determined but not fixed structure. They typically use assonance rhyme schemes (e.g., -a-a-a) and octosyllabic verses. They have traditional forms and themes.
Types
- Old Ballads: Anonymous, originating from unknown sources up to the mid-sixteenth century. Show variations in structure, with some having 8 or 9 syllables per verse, different rhyme schemes, or variations in the chorus.
- New Ballads: Written from the mid-sixteenth century onwards by learned authors like Góngora and Lope de Vega, imitating the style of the old ballads.
Source and Transmission
- Traditionalist Theory: Suggests they originated from the French chanson de geste.
- Individualistic Theory: Argues they were created by anonymous authors in the same way as other poetry.
Cycles
- National Epic: Based on epic poems like El Cantar de Mio Cid.
- Chivalric Romances: Inspired by myths and stories of chivalry.
- Granada Theme: Narrate events between Moors and Christians in Granada.
- Biblical Ballads: Draw inspiration from biblical stories.
- Epic-Lyrical: Blend romantic and lyrical elements with epic themes.
Features
- Single metric form (usually octosyllabic verse).
- Tendency towards condensed storytelling.
- Frequent use of archaisms.
- Use of peculiar verbs.
- Repetition, antithesis, and enumeration.
- Lack of explicit moralizing.
Prose in the Fifteenth Century
Prose-Biography
: Born of an incipient humanism and concern for man, arise collections of biographies of wide circulation, as the Book of Virtues and clear of Alvaro de Luna women, where women are celebrated historical figures to counter the misogynist of the time
-Doctrinal works and collections of short stories: El Corbacho de Talavera which is dedicated to censor what he considers shortcomings of women. Colloquial abound and there are some stories or examples satirical
“Novela sentimental one gender is preferred by the public especially for women. They are works of love affair in the q emotions are handled by the actors and the often tragic end (Prison of Love)
Celestite
Callisto is a tragicomedy in which a young bourgeois who falls for Melibea in a class higher than him, but she rejects him. Callisto tells her servants problems and they tell you to hire Celestina, That this manages to unite the two through their wisdom and their spells. The servants brought by greed kill Celestina q refused to share her wealth. Callisto dies after falling off the balcony and commits suicide Melibea
Author: Fernando de Rojas
Genre: comedy humanist
Style: Be careful style, full of irony and beauty. Antithesis are frequent, longer sentences, proverbs and Latinos
Intent: It is purely literary and aesthetic, q is intended to reflect the passions of 2 lovers