Renaissance Literature of the 16th Century: Key Themes and Figures
XVI Century Literature: The Renaissance: “It’s a cultural movement that involves a change of mind about man in the Middle Ages. It signifies a resurgence of social and aesthetic values that manifest themselves in new artistic forms, giving birth to new expressive and philosophical ideas.
ESCEPTICISMO: Increases a critical attitude against medieval dogmatism. EPICUREÍSMO: Invites moderate enjoyment of life and pleasures. STOICISM: Exalts the dignity of man. Neoplatonism: Defends the beauty of natural things as a reflection of Erasmus: Defender of intimate religiosity, tolerance, and charity. Humanism: Places the person at the center of the universe and religion, emphasizing the imitation of classical models.
Aristotle’s views on artists reflect what is truly beautiful. Art decoration is based on reality.
The aim of art is aesthetic. Plato sees the world’s beauty as a reflection of the supreme beauty, which is only found in the world of ideas. LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE: The Renaissance language pursues elegance and idealizes naturalness. The function of art is the search for a natural style and refinement in literature.
It accentuates the moral tone.
THE RENAISSANCE IN SPAIN: HISTORY AND SOCIETY
Two Stages:
- Early Renaissance: Occurs during the reign of Charles I, in the first half of the 16th century. This period sees the reception of European guidelines, including Neoplatonism and Erasmianism. Italianate Petrarchan influence is introduced in poetry, with Garcilaso de la Vega as the highest representative.
- Second Renaissance: Takes place during the reign of Philip II, in the second half of the 16th century. It emphasizes religious and national themes, blending pagan traits from the previous period with Christian elements. The high representative is Fray Luis de Leon.
THE RENAISSANCE LYRIC: Forms and Themes
Poetry of Songs:
- Prevalence of cultist tone.
- Traditional octosyllable ballads and Italianate lyric songs.
- Petrarchan model diffusion, with cultured lyricism.
Form:
- The hendecasyllable replaces the octosyllable.
- Stanzas grow in complexity, including the sonnet, the locked trio, and combinations of seven-syllable and hendecasyllable (the silva and the lira).
Topics:
- Love: It is platonic, approaching perfection through the beloved.
- Nature: Symbolizes perfection and simple, natural life.
- Mythology: Reflects Greco-Roman culture and offers a pale pagan perspective.
THE RENAISSANCE (1st Stage)
Garcilaso de la Vega (1501-1536): The perfect courtier (man of arms and letters). Work: The Eclogues: Poetic compositions where some shepherds speak of their love amidst idealized nature. The Sonnets: Poems composed of hendecasyllables divided into two quartets and two triplets. The Songs: Centered on amorous themes. The Elegies: Expresses regrets over the deaths of friends or acquaintances. The Epistle: Dedicated to Juan Boscan, praising his friend.
THE RENAISSANCE (2nd Stage)
In this period, two schools or poetic tendencies emerge: Salamanca School: Represented by Fray Luis de Leon, tending toward natural lyricism and elegant language with moral issues. Seville School: Represented by Fernando de Herrera, focusing on formal beauty and sound, addressing secular subjects. Ascetical and Mystical Poetry: This mystical literature is based on the experience of the soul’s union with God.
FRAY LUIS DE LEON (1527-1591)
Work: Besides being a poet, Fray Luis was a great translator of Latin and Hebrew. He translated the Roman poets Horace and Virgil, as well as the biblical Psalms. As a prose writer, he authored books on religious and moral issues. Poetry: Adopts Italianate Renaissance forms but replaces themes of love with religious moral content. Stages:
- Poems written before prison: Reflects a desire for solitude, peace of mind, and disregard for worldly pleasures.
- Verses composed in prison: Two works of religious content.
- Written after prison: Comprises two odes with poetic ideas influenced by Neoplatonism, adopting an ideal vision of the universe governed by harmony. From the Pythagoreans, he accepted that everything can be reduced to numbers, even heavenly bodies, and that the universe is a perfect harmony.
Stoic Philosophy: Addresses the difficulties of life. His style employs a variety of poetic forms, with many poems directed to a second person. He is careful with formal lexical selection.
SAN JUAN DE LA CRUZ (1542-1591)
The work of St. John of the Cross develops the theme of the mystical union of the soul with the divine. His poetry transforms traditional love poems, giving them religious meaning with subtle changes. Mystical Poetry: Explains his mystical experience, with three evident influences:
- Folk poetry and learned poetry.
- Italianate songbooks.
- Biblical poetry.