Epic Narratives and Romance in Spanish Literature
1. Epic Narrative
Their goal was to tell stories of heroes. The main genres are epic verse epics and romances. The main genres in prose are the story and the novel.
2. Romance
The topics covered by the romances were varied and depended on the stage of the writing. The romances were composed of versos de arte menor in assonance rhyming verse pairs. Their rhyme scheme, known as the pie de romance, is as follows: 8-8a 8-8a 8-8a.
The history of romance can be divided into 3 stages:
Old or Medieval Ballads:
Developed between the 14th and 15th centuries, although it remained widely read in the 16th century. The main issues at this stage were the historical and legendary (El Cid), the border (Wars of Granada), and noticieros. They presented a popular style, characterized by great simplicity and brevity and a more everyday lexicon.
New Ballad:
Developed during the 17th century (Baroque). The main themes were historical and legendary (El Cid), the Moorish style, and heroico. It presented a popular style but more refined than in the Old Ballad, as more literary devices were learned.
Modern Ballad:
It has developed since the 19th century to the present day. The issues are more varied, highlighting the gypsies and the exiles, though still using the historical-legendary style. It presented a popular style though with many learned elements like metaphors, cultismos, and conceptismos.
3. Narrative Genres of the Golden Age (16th-17th Centuries)
Book of Chivalry:
Took place between the 14th and 17th centuries. The topics narrated were gentlemen’s fantastic imaginary adventures. Its origin was French, and the main precursor was the French writer Chrétien de Troyes. The main works of this genre are: Amadis of Gaul (Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo) and Don Quixote (Cervantes).
Sentimental Novel:
It developed during the 14th and 15th centuries. The theme narrated was the loves of medieval knights. Its origin came from Italy and the works of Boccaccio. The main work of this genre is The Prison of Love (Diego de San Pedro).
Pastoral Novel:
It was developed during the 16th century (Renaissance). Its main theme was the story of the loves of shepherds. Its origin was Italian because of the work of Sannazaro, who took Virgil as a model. Its most important work is La Diana (Jorge de Montemayor).
Moorish Novel:
Developed during the 17th century (Baroque). It was Spanish in origin. Its main theme was the narration of the War of Granada, but the peculiarity was that the hero was an Arab character. In general, it focused on war and love. The most important Moorish novel is The Abencerraje (by an anonymous author). Its principal features are that it is a short and intercalated story, that is, it is inside another novel.
Italian Novella:
Developed in the 17th century (Baroque). Its origin was Italian and came from the works of Boccaccio. Its main theme was the story of idealized love. The most important work is the Exemplary Novels (Cervantes), which are 12 short stories, most notably The Little Gypsy. Its main feature is brevity.
Byzantine Novel:
Developed in the 17th century (Baroque). Its origin was Greek. Its main theme was the story of continued adventure travel by sea, as in Homer’s Odyssey. Its most important work is The Persiles (Cervantes).
Picaresque Novel:
It developed during the 17th century (Baroque), except for Lazarillo de Tormes. Its origin is Spanish, like Lazarillo and Guzmán de Alfarache. Its main theme is to narrate the adventures of a rogue (antihero) who is waging a struggle to improve their situation, as they are often hungry. The three most important works of this genre are: Lazarillo de Tormes (anonymous author), Guzmán de Alfarache (Mateo Alemán), and El Buscón (Quevedo). Its main features are that the anti-hero is of humble origin, which requires them to be the servant of many masters to seek their fortune and ward off adversity, which makes them learn bad habits and act like a criminal (a rogue with celestina influence). It presents a picaresque structure, consisting of an autobiographical narrative told in two timelines (past and present) that bind at the end in a flashback, as in the novel The World of Luis Berenguer.
Novel of Learning:
Its subject is telling the story of a boy who learns from life’s hardships (education and hunger).
4. Lazarillo de Tormes
It is an anonymous work published in 1554 during the Renaissance. It had a great influence on the work of Erasmus of Rotterdam (16th century), which made a criticism of the Church and demanded a deeper spiritual reform within it. Its style was classical Renaissance or characterized by great clarity, brevity, and simplicity. It was also characterized by great naturalness, that is, it was written as people spoke.
5. Novels of Cervantes
- Pastoral Novel: La Galatea (1585)
- Book of Chivalry (Parody): Don Quixote (1605 and 1615)
- Italian Novella: Exemplary Novels (1613)
- Byzantine Novel: The Persiles (1616)