Catalan Literature: Origins, Key Figures, and Troubadours
The Genesis of Catalan Literature
Early literature was primarily oral, often accompanied by music. The advent of writing led to written literature, designed for easy memorization. Today, literature mainly serves as entertainment.
The Birth of Catalan Literature
Catalan literature emerged in the 12th century, rooted in the socio-political landscape of Old Catalonia, characterized by a new social and political structure based on feudalism. Theocratic society (dominant religion) with a moralistic and didactic purpose. Society was divided into three classes: the church (doctrinal literature), the nobility (courtesan literature), and the people (popular literature). Concepts like honor, courage, and loyalty were central to society. Medieval written literature coincided with Gothic art, oral traditions, and the height of the troubadour era. Linguistically and culturally, the birth of Catalan literature was influenced by a multilingual society and its evolution. European national literatures grew and strengthened alongside the formation of political entities. Ramon Llull is considered the creator of Catalan literature. Medieval literature often relied on imitation of established models. In the late Middle Ages, incorporating fragments from other authors was seen as a merit.
Ramon Llull: Philosopher and Writer
Ramon Llull was a philosopher, theologian, and missionary before becoming a writer. His work is characterized by theocentricism, didacticism, moralism, and a desire to educate. Major works include lyric poetry with autobiographical content, and two significant novels: Blanquerna and The Book of Wonders (including the Book of Beasts).
Troubadour Literature: The Dawn of Vernacular Poetry
Troubadour literature represents the first vernacular poetry in Europe, flourishing in southern France from the 11th century.
Courtly Love in Troubadour Poetry
Troubadour poetry, particularly that of courtly love, reflected the society that produced it. It celebrated true, loyal, generous, unselfish, and affectionate love, associated with good behavior and manners, and the pursuit of pleasure. It was a kind of game where the code is transferred to the feudal experience of love. The troubadour assumed the role of a vassal to a noble lady.
Poetry: Structure and Form
A poem is a text composed of verses with a specific organization and rhythm, often lyrical, expressing the poet’s subjectivity.
- Meter: The number of syllables in a metric verse.
- Rhyme: Matching sounds.
- Elision: The suppression of a vowel in contact with another.
- Synalepha: Two syllables from different words forming a diphthong.
- Hiatus: Contact syllables pronounced separately.
Verse Classification
- Art Minor: Hexasyllabic (6 syllables), Octosyllabic (8 syllables).
- Art Major: Decasyllabic (10 syllables: 4 + 6), Alexandrine (12 syllables: 6 + 6).
- Isosyllabic: All verses have the same number of syllables.
- Anisosyllabic: Verses have different numbers of syllables.
Rhyme Types
- Assonance Rhyme: Only vowels match.
- Consonance Rhyme: Both vowels and consonants match.
- Chained Rhyme: Rhyme scheme Abab.
- Cross Rhyme: Rhyme scheme Abba.
- Free Verses: Lack metric regularity.
- Male Rhyme: Last word is acute.
- Female Rhyme: Last word is flat or esdrúixola.
Stanza Forms
- Couplet: 2 verses.
- Tercet: 3 verses.
- Quatrain: 4 verses.
- Quintet: 5 verses.
- Sextet: 6 verses.
- Octave: 8 verses.
Compositional Forms
- Corrandes: 4 verses of 7 syllables.
- Haiku: 3 verses (5-7-5 syllables).
- Tanka: 5 verses (5-7-5-7-7 syllables).
- Romance: 7-syllable verses with assonant rhyme in pairs.
- Sonnet: 2 quatrains and 2 tercets (10 or 12 syllables).
- Sestina: 6 stanzas of 6 verses (10 syllables).