16th-Century Spanish Literature
Prose Fiction
In the sixteenth century, the spread of printing and the rising cultural level of the population favored an increased interest in reading. Two types of novels emerged:
Idealist Novels
These novels are set in fantastical landscapes, where unrealistic characters embark on grand adventures. Several subgenres fall under this category:
The Romance of Chivalry
This subgenre arose as a transformation of medieval epic poems, incorporating fantastical elements. It reached its peak in the sixteenth century, with Amadis of Gaul as its leading work.
The Moorish Novel
Alongside the idealized shepherd in love, another idealized figure emerged: the chivalrous and gallant Muslim. The best-known example is The History of Abencerraje and the Beautiful Jarifa.
The Byzantine Novel
Originating from Greek novels, these narratives blend travel and adventures with sentimental plots. A notable example is The History of the Loves of Theagenes and Chariclea.
The Pastoral Novel
This subgenre emerged in Italy with Arcadia. Its characteristics include idealized nature, refined shepherds, complex plots, and the adoration of language and love.
Realist Novels
These novels aimed to accurately reflect the real world. Their protagonists often come from humble social classes, deviating from the traditional hero archetype.
The Love Lyric: Garcilaso de la Vega
This period witnessed a separation between the natural and the supernatural in love poetry. Unlike medieval authors who wrote about love in moral and religious terms, Renaissance poets distinguished between human and divine love. This gave rise to a new form of poetry inspired by Italian love poetry.
Life and Work
Garcilaso de la Vega, a poet from Toledo, masterfully expressed his feelings of love by describing the beauty of his beloved or conveying the sadness he felt at her death.
Form
Garcilaso introduced Spanish poetry to the Italian metric, using heroic verse, sometimes combined with heptasyllables.
Themes
Garcilaso embraced the ideals of Renaissance poetry, including:
- Idealized Nature: The poet’s amorous complaints often take place in the so-called locus amoenus.
- Sublimated Love: The figure of the beloved is also idealized.
- Carpe Diem: This theme encourages a beautiful woman to enjoy her youth.
The Religious Lyric: Fray Luis, San Juan, and Santa Teresa
The second half of the sixteenth century, coinciding with the reign of Philip II, saw the rise of religious poetry in Spanish literature. Religious literature could be expressed in prose dealing with spiritual matters, but also in poems of deep spirituality.
The relationship with God in sixteenth-century religious poetry could be established in two ways:
Asceticism
The poet strives to improve their soul, attain salvation, and encounter God.
Mysticism
The soul of someone chosen by God enters into communication with Him.
Fray Luis de León
Closely linked to the city of Salamanca, where he taught at the University, Fray Luis de León’s poetry, though not extensive, is considered among the best. One of his most outstanding poems is Ode to a Retired Life. The theme of retreat into nature pervades his compositions.
His style is deceptively simple and austere, with few images or embellishments.
San Juan de la Cruz
San Juan de la Cruz combined the trends of the Spanish Renaissance in the second half of the sixteenth century. While Fray Luis’s spirituality is ascetic, San Juan’s poetry expresses his mystic experiences. To reach this state, the soul must pass through three stages:
- The Purgative Way: The soul, through penance, distances itself from earthly things to be closer to God.
- The Illuminative Way: The soul receives knowledge from God that illuminates it.
- The Unitive Way: By God’s grace, the soul unites with Him, reaching mystical ecstasy.
Santa Teresa de Jesús
Santa Teresa’s poetry is less significant than her prose. She composed poems as a distraction, using popular meters. Some poems attributed to her may belong to folk tradition.
Learned Works and Popular Works
Throughout the sixteenth century, theater experienced significant development. The works written were influenced by their target audience: an educated public and a popular audience.
Works for the Educated Public
- Palace Theater: Intended for people familiar with the court or the monarchs themselves. Prominent authors include Juan del Encina.
- Humanist Comedy: These works were translations or adaptations of classics, read to small groups.
- Religious Theater: A continuation of previous theatrical traditions.
Works for the Popular Audience
These works led to the development of a theater that culminated in the seventeenth century with the national comedy and new comedy.
Popular theater emerged in the mid-sixteenth century, influenced by Italian companies touring Spain and performing Commedia dell’arte.
Lope de Rueda
Lope de Rueda, from Seville, was a writer of highly successful plays that appealed to both educated and popular audiences. He was also a director and actor. He was a great innovator of theater and the founder of the first Spanish theater company.