Catalan Popular Literature: History, Genres, and Key Figures
Significance of the People in Catalan Literature
This 16th-century literature emerged in the early days of the Catalan language. Originating in the 16th century, it has a traditional and popular dimension, passed down through generations, often set to music. During the 19th-century revival, there was an urgent need to recover this literature. Manuel Milà i Fontanals collected and published romances and songs.
Genres of Popular Literature
Romance
A poetic composition with verses of seven syllables, usually with assonance rhyme, and no rhyme in pairs for odd verses. Catalan romances include: The Reapers, The Romance of the Outlaw John Serralongue, and Count Arnau. The core of the Catalan romance tradition is found in the 16th and 19th centuries. We find historical romances (about real bandits and thieves), legendary romances, and those about customs.
Joys and Christmas Carols
These have a religious aspect, especially the songs, shaped as joys (set in heptasyllabic verses with a variable number of eight-line stanzas) and Christmas carols (songs with references to the celebration of the day).
Corrandes and Tambourine Songs
Corrandes are verses of four or five lines, each with its own meaning, covering various subjects. These songs are sung on occasions with tambourine accompaniment. They typically consist of eight heptasyllabic verses, often friendly in nature, although satirical ones also exist.
Tales
In popular prose literature, we must mention tales. These anonymous stories, transmitted orally, often have fantastic or imaginary elements. Antonio Maria Alcover, Jacinto Verdaguer, and Enric Valor, among others, had the foresight to consolidate various versions and narrate them in their own styles.
Key Literary Works and Figures
La Pàtria by Bonaventura Carles Aribau
This poem by Bonaventura Carles Aribau became a text embodying the concerns and projects of 19th-century Catalan society. The author develops a feeling of nostalgia for the landscape and language, using a vindictive tone and romantic elements reminiscent of the Renaissance. When published in the journal El Vapor, it ceased to be private and became an instantly famous and appreciated poem. It presents a linguistic dignity and poetic style that suggests Catalan as a language of culture. It uses a form (the couplet or greater art of Juan de Mena (ABBA ACCA)) with eight Alexandrine verses.
Nostalgia and Literary Activism
Joaquin Rubio i Ors: A Catalan activist. Antoni Bofarull: The New Troubadours. Victor Balaguer: The Modern Troubadours, offering a political interpretation of the Renaissance and poetic activity. These collections bring together a selection of the most outstanding poetic texts in the Catalan language and are complemented by the remarkable work of important figures such as Manuel Milà i Fontanals and Maria Aguilar. They pursued the Romantic spirit in their collection of traditional songs.