Medieval Literature: Genres, Characteristics, and Key Works
Three Great Literary Genres
There are three major literary genres:
- Epic or Narrative: A work in which an author tells the actions of characters.
- Lyric: Characterized by the presence of a lyrical voice that expresses intimate feelings, with the intention of provoking emotions in the reader.
- Dramatic: Works written to be represented on a stage, showing the actions and voices of the characters without the intervention of the author.
Medieval Mentality and Culture
Medieval society was theocratic and very religious. The transcendent exerted considerable influence on all orders of life, conceived as a transit towards eternal life. Death had a liberating sense. Political instability and the naturalness of war were also key elements in medieval ideology, along with religion.
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
Very few people knew how to read and write, and access to culture was very restricted. Texts were handwritten in a long and costly process. Under these circumstances, literature was transmitted and enjoyed orally. Most of the works were anonymous. Due to the situation of instability, fortune, love, and death became central themes. In courtly literature, the attitude of the nobility became more refined and cultured, not only valuing fighting but also writing and serving ladies.
Cantares de Gesta (Epic Poems)
Epic poems were recited by minstrels during the 12th and 13th centuries. These poems exalted the heroes who embodied the virtues of a people.
Romances
After the epic genre fell into decay in the 14th century, the first evidence of the diffusion of romances emerged, a genre that spread through oral channels. The romance genre is related to epic thought. It is believed that romances in their origin were fragments broken off from more extensive epics. The importance of communication affects them, bringing them closer to traditional lyric poetry.
Types of Romances
- Historical Romances: The best-known, based on Castilian epic themes.
- Carolingian and Breton Romances: Based on epic stories from France and Great Britain.
- Frontier and Moorish Romances: Narrated events on the frontier between Castile and Muslim kingdoms.
- Romantic and Lyrical Ballads: Narrate dramatic events of everyday life and love adventures, invented by minstrels.
Style of Romances
- Simple syntax and archaic language, which gives them an unmistakable tone.
- Incorporation of dialogues as dramatizations.
- Frequent exclamations, questions, and references to the listener.
- Presence of fixed formulas, such as epic epithets.
Mester de Clerecía
This designates a set of narrative poems with a didactic and religious intention, composed in the 13th and 14th centuries. They used the “cuaderna vía,” four verses of 14 syllables (“Alexandrines”) with a strong central caesura or pause, and consonant rhyme.
The Ambiguous Book of Good Love
All the elements of the book are subordinate to a central theme: love and its deceptions. However, the superposition of religious and secular affairs, the fluctuating tone between cautionary and burlesque, and the intensive use of irony and even parody make it difficult to determine if the work has a didactic or entertainment character. The language is rich, ranging from a cultured register to the colloquial style of the time, resulting in a complex and multiform work.
Parts of the *Coplas* by Manrique
The *Coplas* combine traditional elements with original ones. The poems are often divided into three parts:
- Abstract discussion of death.
- Evocation of historical figures.
- Dialogue presenting the death of the poet’s father.
Structure of the Stories of *El Conde Lucanor*
It is divided into four parts:
- Dialogue between Count Lucanor and Patronio, where a problem is presented.
- The narrative story or example.
- Application of the story to the case presented and acceptance of the advice by the Count.
- Intervention of Don Juan Manuel, who decides to include the example in the book along with a moral.