Medieval and Pre-Renaissance Literature in Spain
Medieval Literature (11th-14th Centuries)
Poetry was popular, encompassing both anonymous, collective, and traditional forms (undergoing a process of reworking) and more cultured forms (with known individual authors and written texts).
Traditional Folk Lyric
This includes:
- Jarchas (in Mozarabic)
- Cantigas de amigo (Galician-Portuguese)
- Villancicos (Castilian)
Their themes were primarily love, dawn songs (meetings of lovers), *May* songs (celebrating spring), sailing songs, and work or travel songs (often referencing mountains).
Narrative Poetry
Epic poetry (narratives of the deeds of epic heroes) stands out. These are the first manifestations of medieval epic poetry. Initially, they were not in monorhyme stanzas, but these expanded over time (through formation, flowering, and prosification).
Mester de Clerecía
The *Mester de Clerecía* (12th century) used *cuaderna vía* (fourfold way) verse for didactic purposes, with moral themes. A key figure is Gonzalo de Berceo, known for *Milagros de Nuestra Señora* (25 tales of miracles of the Virgin Mary).
Archpriest of Hita
The Archpriest of Hita‘s *Book of Good Love* includes stories such as the battle between *Doña Cuaresma* and *Don Carnal* (where love triumphs), a tale of two young lovers aided by a go-between, fables, and religious and profane compositions.
Poema del Mio Cid
This anonymous work, attributed to San Esteban de Gormaz and Medina (for the first and second parts, respectively), exalts the figure of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (El Cid). It describes his dishonor by the king and subsequent banishment. In exile, he conquers Moorish lands. The second part, *Cantar de las bodas*, depicts El Cid conquering Valencia, where he reunites with his family, and his daughters’ marriage to the Counts of Carrión. The third part, *Cantar de la afrenta de Corpes*, deals with the humiliation and abandonment of his daughters by their husbands, and their subsequent marriages to the princes of Navarre and Aragon.
The poem exhibits historical and geographical realism, although some adventures and the names of the daughters are fictional. It preserves the final “e” and “-a” sounds, uses epic epithets, pleonastic expressions, and dualities.
Pre-Renaissance (15th Century)
Life became more impoverished, and the nobility took control. There was a prevalent fear of death and a loss of spirituality.
Romances
Romances are short compositions that fragment the *chanson de geste* (anonymous). They appeared in the 14th and 15th centuries, initially orally transmitted. The *Romancero Nuevo* has known authors and is written, though it continued to be transmitted orally. Themes include historical-national, novelistic, lyrical, border, and maritime subjects (battles of the Reconquista), and Breton themes (King Arthur). Rhyme is assonant in couplets, with odd lines unrhymed.
Courtly Lyric: Cancionero
These are compilations of compositions with themes such as:
- Love (fused with the Provençal and Petrarchan traditions)
- Moral reflection (with *topoi* such as the world’s fickleness, blind fortune, the ephemeral and fleeting nature of time, unpredictable and equalizing death, *ubi sunt*, and the attempt to achieve lasting fame)
- Satire (social and political criticism due to political anarchy and moral corruption)
Jorge Manrique‘s *Coplas por la muerte de su padre* stands out, organized in two six-line stanzas of 12 verses, incorporating themes of moral reflection.
Theater: La Celestina (1499)
This work, comprising 21 acts, is attributed to Fernando de Rojas. The first act up to Chapter 14 (the death of Celestina) is considered the first part, and the rest is the second. Themes include greed, magic, time, and love. The play is expressed through dialogues, monologues, asides (comments perceived only by the audience), and stage directions (indications of the circumstances).
European Context
Key figures in European poetry include:
- Dante (*Divine Comedy*, a religious work detailing Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise)
- Petrarch (who idealizes the beloved without stripping her of her humanity)
In prose, Boccaccio‘s *Decameron* (a collection of stories) is notable.
Medieval Features in *La Celestina*
The work does not present a new language, incorporating proverbs, divine punishment, profanity, suicide for love, and *carpe diem*.