Renaissance and Baroque Literature in Spain
Renaissance Narrative in Spain
The European Renaissance Epic
Homer:
- Iliad: Characters: Paris, Helen, Hector, Achilles. Argument: Tells of the Trojan War.
- Odyssey: Characters: Penelope, Telemachus, Odysseus. Argument: Describes Odysseus’s return to Ithaca.
Virgil:
- Aeneid: Characters: Aeneas, Dido. Argument: The adventures of Aeneas, founder of Rome.
In Italy, Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso tells of the Saracen King Agramante’s war against Charlemagne. Torquato Tasso’s Jerusalem Delivered is about the Crusades and the conquest of Jerusalem.
Luís de Camões’s The Lusiads, the epic poem of Portugal, recounts Vasco da Gama’s voyage to India.
In Spain, the most important epic poem is Alonso de Ercilla’s La Araucana, about the Spanish conquest of Chile and the conflict with the Araucanians.
The Renaissance Novel in Spain
Sources:
- Ancient Greco-Roman pastoral and Byzantine romance
- Moorish novel and picaresque novel (typical of Spain)
Idealistic Narrative Forms
- Novel of Chivalry: Continued success of Amadis of Gaul and its imitations.
- Pastoral Novel: Love stories of shepherds, written in prose with interspersed songs and poems.
- Byzantine Novel: Separated lovers reunite after many adventures.
- Moorish Novel: Love stories set during the Christian-Muslim conflicts.
The Picaresque Novel
A new subgenre marking the beginning of the modern age, starting with Lazarillo de Tormes.
Lazarillo de Tormes
A first-person narrative of the protagonist’s life and adventures.
Protagonist: Lázaro, a rogue.
Structure: A prologue and seven chapters, each detailing Lázaro’s service to a different master. Circular external structure (begins and ends with Lázaro as an adult). Linear internal structure (chronological order of events).
Characters: Lázaro is an antihero who evolves negatively. The masters represent different social strata of 16th-century Spain.
Style: Realism in descriptions and characterization. Simple language. Black humor masking bitterness.
Introduction to Baroque Literature
The World in the 17th Century
The Baroque is a 17th-century European artistic movement characterized by pessimism and disillusionment caused by historical circumstances and the Renaissance.
In Spain, the death of Philip II in 1580 marked the end of an era of splendor and the beginning of a general crisis:
- Continuous warfare
- Failure of the universal Catholic monarchy
- General impoverishment
- Enormous social contrasts
Culture and Art
- Empiricist and rationalist philosophies: Truth through experience, logic, and reason.
- Importance of appearance in art: Velázquez, Caravaggio, Bach.
Baroque Literature
- Literature’s purpose: Entertainment and pleasure. Professionalization of writers.
- Controversies and feuds between writers.
- Search for innovation and surprise.
- Renewal of genres and styles (e.g., Lope de Vega’s comedy, Cervantes’s novel).
- Extreme or degraded realism, search for beauty.
- Dramatic contrasts and oppositions (e.g., Don Quixote and Sancho Panza).
- Complex language with abundant literary figures.
- Emphasis on adornment and wordplay.
Miguel de Cervantes
Biography
Cervantes synthesized Renaissance ideals and 17th-century realism. Soldier from 1570. Fought in the Battle of Lepanto. Captured by Turks, five years of captivity. Returned to Spain, struggled to survive, imprisoned again. Died in Madrid in 1616.
Plays and Poetic Work
Cervantes explored all genres, but his plays and poetry are overshadowed by his narrative work.
Theater
- Classical tragedies following Greek models.
- Comedies (e.g., La Gran Sultana, The Baths of Algiers).
- Interludes with satirical elements (e.g., The Wonder-Working Puppet Show).
Poetry
- Early poetry: Italian meters, influenced by Garcilaso and pastoral lyric.
- Later: Traditional poetry.
- Long poems (e.g., Journey to Parnassus): Reflections on poetry and other poets’ work.
Narrative Work
La Galatea (Pastoral Novel)
Noble characters disguised as shepherds, discussing love in elevated language. Prose with interspersed verses. Tension between pastoral world and the harsh reality of late 16th-century Spain.
Exemplary Novels (Short Stories)
“Exemplary” meaning both didactic and representative of a new genre. Cervantes created a literary model.
The Travails of Persiles and Sigismunda (Byzantine Novel)
Adventures of the protagonists before their marriage in Rome. Creative freedom and taste for fiction.
Don Quixote
First part published in 1605, second in 1615.
Structure: Based on the protagonist’s journeys. Realistic but fictional time and space.
Style: Simple language with proverbs and sayings. Renaissance themes (e.g., chivalry). Irony and parody.
Themes: Criticism of chivalric romances, literary criticism, Spain’s situation, madness as truth and freedom, the world as a theater.
Characters: Don Quixote (idealistic), Sancho Panza (realistic), and numerous minor characters.
17th-Century Lyric Poetry
Themes
Love, transience of life, death, passage of time, flowers, ruins, mythology, Spain’s decline, literary polemics.
Stanzas and Verses
Italian forms (e.g., sonnet, silva, lira). Popular verses (e.g., romance, letrilla).
Styles: Culteranismo and Conceptismo
Culteranismo: Complex language, literary figures, mythological references, obscure words.
Conceptismo: Ingenious associations between concepts and words.
Luis de Góngora (Culteranismo)
Life
Born and died in Córdoba. Priest, chaplain to Philip III.
Work
Simple and obscure styles, mixed in his works. Sonnets, romances, letrillas. Soledades.
Francisco de Quevedo (Conceptismo)
Life
Born in Madrid. Political missions in Italy. Imprisoned. Died in Villanueva de los Infantes.
Work
Varied themes and tones. Blends opposing elements. Love poetry (especially to Lisi, e.g., “Love Constant Beyond Death”). Satirical poetry with hyperbole and wordplay. Moral and religious poetry. Romances on various subjects.
Lope de Vega
Life
Involved in literary polemics (e.g., with Cervantes and Góngora). Intense love life. Priest. Influential friends (e.g., Duke of Alba). “Phoenix of Wits.” Born and died in Madrid.
Work
Almost all genres: lyric poetry, narrative prose and verse, drama.
Poetry (Rimas Humanas)
Collection of various poetic forms: sonnets, pastorals, letters, etc. Love, mythology, art, biblical themes. Sonnets on love.
Narrative
Arcadia (pastoral), The Pilgrim in his Own Country (Byzantine). Arcadia describes life at the Duke of Alba’s court.