Catalan Literature: Origins, Key Figures, and Historical Context
The Origins of Catalan Literature
Catalan language development: substrate, entered, superestrat. Born in VI-VIII. By the XII century, meals were written in Catalan: Homilies d’Organyà and Forum ludicum. Catalan emerged from a necessity.
The first important literary writing in Catalan: Ramon Llull and Ausias March, influenced by Occitan and Provence. Trovadoresca Literature: the first cultured manifestation in a Romance language, emerged from the nobility in a feudal context.
Troubadours: Noble Origins and Themes
Troubadours: of noble origin, working in music and writing. Theme: Love and War, a feudal metaphor to encourage battle. Language (Channel: jester, spoken Code: Provençal Occitan).
Form and Structure of Troubadour Poetry
- Art emnor
- Consonant rhyme
- Destrofes type: back, and saying the ballad
Types of Troubadour Poetry
- Canso (love song)
- Sirventes (satirical song)
- Alba (dawn song)
- Tenco (argument)
- Pastorela (pastoral song)
Literary Resources Used by Troubadours
- Personifications
- Metaphors
- Antithesis
- Parallelisms
- Anaphora
- Polysyndeton
Ramon Llull: A Pioneer of Catalan Prose
Ramon Llull: the first prose writer in Catalan, XIII-XIV centuries. He began writing at 30 years old, was a noble who lived in Mallorca, writing poetry as a troubadour. Suddenly, his life underwent a radical change after a vision he had while writing a love poem. Jesus Christ crucified appeared whenever he wrote a poem. He decided after seeing these visions to leave his family and his life to preaching. His literary goal was to Christianize, so that humanity would rediscover the path of faith lost by unbelievers. He attended schools in Tunisia and created languages.
Llull’s Teaching Works
- Book of Evast and Blanquerna (includes Friend and Lover)
- Book of Ave Maria
- Book of Wonders
- Book of the Order of Knighthood
He used isotopes to enrich enumeration prose. He died in Tunis and was brought back to Majorca. He saw two ways of life: Active (struggle) and contemplative. Blanquerna is used to represent the Church.
Religious and Moral Literature of the XIV-XV Centuries
Christian Europe passed through a major crisis. The Christian faith was under tension caused by excessive requirements. The Church recognized the crisis and sought to reclaim the faithful. The crisis was a deep spiritual wound. There were “heresies” that departed from the orthodox line, one of the most important was the Cathar heresy. Literature became a weapon to fight this spiritual crisis, with a didactic purpose. Writers of religious literature: San Vicente Ferrer, Francesc Eiximenis, Anselm Turmeda, all Dominican priests educating the people in Christian law.
Methods to Educate the People
Exemplum stories were used so that people could better understand, especially the illiterate.
Catalan Poetry of the XIV-XV Centuries
The theme of the troubadour remained, but there was thematic innovation in the theme of love and women, influenced by Italy. The Catalan poets were still tied to the literature of Provence, which involved them in the feudal crisis. Italian poetry was called “Dolce stil novo” and was more elaborate.
Ausias March: A Key Figure in Catalan Poetry
Ausias March: the first poet who wrote in Catalan, a knight of noble origin. He abandoned military life and retired in Gandia. He was Major Falconer, married Elizabeth Martorell (sister of Joanot) at 40 years old, without having children but with illegitimate children. He died at 62 years old with an important poetic production. Poets who have written in his spirit include Joan Maragall, Mosent Belt Verdaguer, and Josep Palau i Fabra.
Historiographic Literature: Chronicles
Historiographic literature is an artistic event of historic content, with value as a literary and historical document.
Epic Poetry
Epic: narrative in verse of the exploits of a hero, rhyming verse, oral recitation by a minstrel, historical unreliability, description of strategies, spoils of war, Freites, dead, preserved by the Catalan chief.
Chronicles
Chronicles: in prose, written in the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, decisive years of the history of Catalonia regarding its political, social, and economic development. They narrate the recent past and come from the reign of Alfonso to Martin of Aragon. The chronicler participates directly or indirectly with the facts. Especially King James I, Ramon Muntaner Knight, and King Peter of Aragon. The chronicles of James I and Peter IV of Aragon allow us to understand these two great Catalan sovereigns and not just what they did.