Journey Through Spanish Literary History
Spanish Literature: Medieval to Renaissance
Medieval Period
Mester de Juglaría
Minstrels were traveling entertainers who recited poems, juggled, and performed various acts. The Mester de Juglaría refers to the works of these minstrels, often anonymous, with irregular meter, assonance, and heroic themes. The most important work is Cantar de Mio Cid.
Mester de Clerecía
This poetic school emerged in the 13th century, featuring educated clergy as authors. Their works had regular meter, religious themes, and known authorship, aiming to convey moral teachings. Gonzalo de Berceo’s Milagros de Nuestra Señora is a prime example, characterized by its unique verse form.
Romances
Romances were orally transmitted, anonymous narratives with multiple versions and variations. They blend narrative and dialogue, often ending in suspense and recounting past actions.
Old Romances
These romances were composed in the 14th and 15th centuries and collected in the 16th century.
New Romances
These romances were written by educated poets in the 16th and 17th centuries.
La Celestina
Initially anonymous, acrostic verses revealed Fernando de Rojas as the author. The first edition (1499) had 16 acts and was titled Comedia de Calisto y Melibea. The 1502 edition added 5 acts and became Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea. From 1507 onwards, the 21-act play was known as La Celestina. There is ongoing debate about Rojas’s authorship of the entire work.
Genres of La Celestina
The play adheres to three unities: place, time (24 hours or less), and action.
Renaissance Period
The Renaissance
This cultural movement in the 16th century revived interest in classical Greek and Latin works, forgotten during the Middle Ages.
Humanism
Humanism emphasized the study of classical literature, imitating ancient writers and celebrating human knowledge. The world was viewed as a place to be enjoyed, with man at its center.
Don Quixote
Published in two parts (1605 and 1615), Cervantes intended to satirize chivalric romances. The story revolves around Don Quixote’s three adventures, the first two in Part 1 and the last in Part 2.
Narrative Technique
Cervantes uses a fictional manuscript by Arab historian Cide Hamete Benengeli, claiming to have translated it, to lend authenticity to the story.