Catalan Literature: A Journey Through History
1. Catalan Literary Crisis: Underlying Causes
Remoteness of the Court
Moving the court to Castile replaced Catalan with Spanish.
Radiance of Castilian Literature
The 17th century, the Spanish Golden Age, attracted Catalan writers.
Weakening of Catalan’s Official Status
Emerging Catalan dialects and the Nueva Planta Decree led to its suppression.
Historical Events
Wars like the War of the Brothers, the Reapers’ War, and the War of the Spanish Succession resulted in the loss of self-government.
Emergence of Printing
For commercial reasons, books were printed in Spanish and Latin.
2. 16th Century: The Renaissance
Inspired by Italian Humanism, this era focused on understanding humanity and its surroundings.
Topics: Nature, idealization of women, love, mythology.
Poetry: Joan Timoneda (Flower Lovers), Serafí Pitarra (22 love sonnets).
Prose: Cristòfor Despuig (Colloquia, Tortosa).
Theater: Joan Francesc de Heredia (La Vesita), in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese.
3. 17th Century: The Baroque
Baroque pessimism replaced Renaissance optimism.
Topics: Transience of life, vanity, ugliness, pain. This coincided with the Catalan Revolt.
Main Authors:
- Francesc Vicenç Garcia: Poetry with hyperbaton, metaphors, and love themes.
- Francesc Fontanella: Poetry and drama; Nise’s Death (Baroque sonnet), Lo Desengany (theater).
4. 18th Century: Enlightenment and Neoclassicism
Enlightenment
A cultural and philosophical movement emphasizing reason.
Neoclassicism
An aesthetic movement advocating a return to classical ideals.
Catalan Authors:
- Joan Ramis: Neoclassical plays and poetry; Lucrecia (tragedy).
- Baró de Maldà: Cajón de Sastre (diary depicting 50 years of Catalan life).
5. Popular Literature
Throughout the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, popular literature thrived.
Villagers continued speaking and creating Catalan literature through oral tradition.
Poetry: Christmas carols (corrandes), outlaw songs.
Narrative: Folk tales and legends.
Theater: Religious cycles: Christmas, Easter, saints, the Virgin Mary, and biblical themes.
6. Romanticism
Originating in 18th-century Germany, Romanticism opposed Neoclassical rigidity.
Characteristics: Subjectivity, originality, freedom of creation; emphasis on sentiment and imagination; themes of loss, patriotism, solitude, passion, love; glorification of the medieval past; mixing of genres and styles; expressive language.
7. The Renaixença
Catalan Romanticism, known as the Renaixença, involved reevaluating Catalan writers and rediscovering Catalan history and culture.
Characteristics: Interest in recovering popular Catalan literature; glorification of medieval Catalonia; revival of Catalan as a literary language; nostalgic themes; appreciation of the Catalan landscape.
The Homeland is a precursor to Renaixença works.
7.1 Poetry: Jacint Verdaguer
(1845-1902) Verdaguer’s work has romantic and popular elements. He significantly contributed to the revival of Catalan as a literary language. His major works include Atlantida, Canigó, Montserrat, and Idilis i cants mísitics.
7.2 Theater: Àngel Guimerà
(1845-1924) Guimerà’s plays fall into two subgenres: historic tragedy (e.g., Mar i cel) and realist drama (e.g., Terra baixa).
7.3 Narrative: Narcís Oller
(1846-1930) Oller’s realistic and naturalist works include short stories (La lluna de miel) and novels (La febre d’or, La bogeria, Pilar Prim).