Renaissance and Baroque Spanish Literature: A Poetic Journey
Renaissance Poetry
Garcilaso de la Vega
A prominent figure known for his high-quality pastoral poems, sonnets, elegies, songs, and odes. Stationed in Naples, he was influenced by Italian poets. His love for Isabel Freire, who never reciprocated his feelings, inspired much of his work. He embodies the Renaissance ideal: soldier, courtier, and poet.
Themes and Style
Garcilaso’s poetry primarily explores the theme of love, often expressing unrequited love and disappointment. His style emphasizes perfection and elegance.
- Poetry in vita: Written during Isabel’s life, expressing his unrequited love.
- Poetry in morte: Composed after Isabel’s death, reflecting a melancholic longing.
Second Renaissance
Fernando de Herrera
Born and died in Seville, Herrera dedicated his love poetry to Leonor de Millán. After her death, he shifted his focus to literary theory. His poetry embodies worship, tenacity, and a pursuit of perfection.
Fray Luis de León
Known for his mastery of the ode, Fray Luis de León’s work reflects the Renaissance spirit through formal simplicity, harmony, and careful preparation. His poems, often written in liras, explore various themes inspired by Horace.
Religious Lyric: Ascetic and Mystic
This genre explores the union of the soul with God. Asceticism emphasizes achieving perfection through struggle and sacrifice, while mysticism describes the stages of spiritual union with God:
- Way of Purification: Detachment from earthly possessions.
- Way of Illumination: Experiencing God’s presence.
- Way of Union: Complete unity with God.
San Juan de la Cruz
A prominent mystic, San Juan de la Cruz explored themes of spiritual union in his works:
- Dark Night of the Soul: Describes the soul’s journey towards union with the divine.
- Spiritual Canticle: Outlines the three-way mystical path to God.
- Living Flame of Love: Expresses the passionate longing for union with God.
His works, written in liras, are characterized by symbolic language.
Santa Teresa de Jesús
A prolific writer, Santa Teresa de Jesús produced autobiographical works, doctrinal texts, letters, and poems, including carols with popular and musical elements.
Baroque Literature
Spanning from the reign of Philip III to the death of Calderón de la Barca, the Baroque period is marked by pessimism and a concern for the passage of time. Art served as a form of escape and reflection. Antithesis and contrast are key elements.
Three Trends
- Conceptismo: Emphasizes intellectual wit and wordplay, with Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián as prominent figures.
- Culteranismo: Characterized by elaborate language and complex metaphors, exemplified by Góngora.
Quevedo (Conceptismo)
Known for his polemical and contrasting style, Quevedo was a prolific writer whose works explored political, philosophical, romantic, and burlesque themes. His poetry reflects skepticism, a concern with aging and death, and a contradictory nature, as seen in his love poems despite his misogyny.
Góngora (Culteranismo)
Góngora’s work includes minor and major poems, such as:
- Soledades: An unfinished work depicting a pilgrim’s journey through four life stages.
- Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea: A mythological narrative poem.
He also wrote sonnets on various themes, including carpe diem. His innovative use of language influenced later poetic movements like pure poetry and the Generation of ’27.