Introduction to Literature: Genres, Styles, and History

Posted on Oct 5, 2024 in Latin

Literature

The term “literature” comes from the Latin word “littera” (“letter”). Originally, it referred to all written works. Over time, it has come to designate works composed with an aesthetic purpose. Literature is an art form using spoken or written language.

Verse and Prose

Verse: Aims to create rhythmic sensations through lines, pauses, and repetition of elements like syllables, stress patterns, and rhyme.

Prose: Generally lacks the rhythmic pattern that characterizes verse.

Verse Metrics

  • Line Length: Depends on the number of syllables. Add a syllable for words ending with an accent, and subtract one for words ending before the last syllable.
  • Sinalefa: When the last vowel of a word and the first vowel of the next word combine, they are counted as one syllable.
  • Umlaut: A diphthong can sometimes be counted as two syllables.
  • Syneresis: Two vowels that form a hiatus can be counted as one syllable.
  • Art-less: Verses with fewer than nine syllables.
  • Versos de arte mayor: Verses with nine or more syllables.
  • Rhyme: The repetition of sounds in two or more verses from the last stressed vowel.
    • Consonant Rhyme: All sounds are repeated.
    • Assonant Rhyme: Only vowels are repeated.

Stanza and Poem

  • Stanzas: Groups of verses following a fixed pattern.
  • Poem: A text written in verse.

Literary Genres

Literary genres categorize texts with common features, giving readers an idea of the work and offering authors patterns and models.

Epic or Narrative

A narrator recounts the actions of characters.

  • Epic: A long narrative poem recounting events linked to a people’s mythical origins (e.g., Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid).
  • Chanson de geste: A medieval poem recounting a historical or pseudo-historical hero’s exploits (e.g., Poema de Mio Cid).
  • Story: A short narrative with a simple framework.
  • Novel: A long prose narrative relating characters’ actions, often complex and mixing different textual elements.

Lyric Genre

Expresses the author’s feelings and perceptions.

  • Song: A composition with marked rhythm, often expressing love.
  • Elegy: A sad composition expressing grief.
  • Ode: Characterized by high pitch, used in praise or celebration.

Dramatic or Theatrical Genre

Actions are developed through dialogue.

  • Tragedy: Heroic characters face adverse situations and fight against overwhelming forces, typically with an unhappy ending.
  • Comedy: Ordinary characters face everyday humorous situations, with a happy ending.
  • Tragicomedy or Drama: Exhibits characteristics of both tragedy and comedy.

Middle Ages

The historical period from the Western Roman Empire’s fall (476) to the discovery of America (1492). In the Iberian Peninsula, marked by the Arab presence (711-1492). Deep religiosity influenced art and literature. War and heroic figures were key elements.

Medieval Literature

Spans from the 10th century to the late 16th century.

Pre-Renaissance Literature

Includes the 15th century, reflecting societal evolution and a new mentality with the rise of the bourgeoisie.

Characteristics of Medieval Literature

  • Oral Transmission: Primarily transmitted through song or recitation.
  • Anonymity: Most works are anonymous.
  • Didacticism: Transmits Christian values and provides role models.

Traditional Lyric

  • Jarchas (10th-11th centuries): Short lyric compositions in Mozarabic, lamenting a lover’s absence.
  • Cantigas de Amigo (13th-14th centuries): Galician-Portuguese songs expressing a woman’s regret for her lover’s absence, characterized by parallel lines.

Epic Poetry

Narrative poems reciting war feats, performed by traveling minstrels (mester of minstrelsy).

Poema de Mio Cid

  • Realism: Events unfold in specific settings and are narrated realistically.
  • Irregular Meter: Verses of varying lengths grouped by assonant rhyme.
  • Fixed Formulas: Repeated expressions, likely aiding memorization and engaging the audience.

Mester of Clergy

13th-century trend, works written by educated individuals in cuaderna via (fourteen-syllable verses with consonant rhyme).

Medieval Prose

Late development, initially using Latin. Alfonso X established Castilian as the official language, translating texts through the Toledo School of Translators. Don Juan Manuel, the first Spanish prose writer.

Key Works

  • Poema de Mio Cid: Epic poem about Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, El Cid.
  • Miracles of Our Lady (Gonzalo de Berceo): Collection of stories featuring the Virgin Mary.
  • Book of Good Love (Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita): Autobiographical account of love affairs.
  • Count Lucanor (Don Juan Manuel): Didactic book with stories and moral examples.

Poetic Forms

  • Sonnet: 14 lines, usually heroic verse, divided into two quartets and two triplets.
  • Cuaderna via: Four Alexandrine verses (14 syllables) with consonant rhyme.
  • Romance: Infinite series of verses, even lines with assonant rhyme, odd lines unrhymed, often octosyllabic (8 syllables).