Spanish Medieval Literature: Key Authors and Forms
Mester de Minstrelsy and Mester de Clergy
The Mester de Minstrelsy was a literary movement in which minstrels recited epic poetry from memory and oral transmission. This was the main genre of epic poems, intended to enlarge the figure of a hero.
The Mester de Clergy was a poetic school of clergy, characterized by educated, written transmission of religious and moralizing themes. It often used the frame narrative, the Bible, and writings of educated Latin authors.
Cuaderna Vía
Cuaderna Vía is an Alexandrian stanza of four lines with the same assonant rhyme.
Gonzalo de Berceo (13th Century)
Gonzalo de Berceo was the first known author in Castilian.
Berceo’s Works
- Hagiographic Poems: Life of Santo Domingo de Silos, Life of San Millán de la Cogolla, and Holy Life of Oria.
- Marian Poems: Praise of Our Lady, Virgin Plant that Made the Day, The Passion of His Son Jesus Christ, and The Miracles of Our Lady.
Features of Medieval Literature (12th and 13th Centuries)
Compositions dedicated to increasing the figure of the Virgin Mary and fostering devotion to her were prominent features of medieval literature.
Hita: *Libro del Buen Amor*
The author’s desire was that the work be passed hand-to-hand, with each person adding or deleting lines at will. Its importance lies in capturing the peculiarities of spoken language.
King Alfonso X the Wise
King Alfonso X the Wise was the driving force behind the development of Castilian prose. He elevated Castilian to the official language. He was the director and supervisor of the process, with a special emphasis on language creation.
Works of Alfonso X
- History: The History of Spain, The General Estoria.
- Scientific: Books of Knowledge of Astronomy, The Alfonsine Tables.
- Recreational: Chess Book, Dice and Tables.
- Others: The Book of the Seven Games, Ballads to Santa Maria.
The Count, Don Juan Manuel
Don Juan Manuel was the inaugurator of Castilian prose fiction.
Scholarly vs. Popular Literature
Scholarly Literature: Written, static, and with a known author.
Popular Literature: Oral, dynamic, anonymous, and subject to changes within the town.
Cancionero (Songbook)
A cancionero is a collection of unique works by various authors. There are two types of compositions:
- Songs with short verses (octosyllables), suitable for short songs and love themes (love inference cuts).
- The most important are those of Baena, Estúñiga, and the general songs of Hernando del Castillo.
Courtly Lyric
Courtly lyric is a literary art developed in the courts during the 14th and 15th centuries. It is a sung poetry that flourished in cultured circles.
Romances
Old Romances: A set of traditional, anonymous ballads of oral transmission, composed for singing, that emerged in the 14th and 15th centuries.
New Romances: All kinds of writings composed by known authors imitating traditional written transmission.
Characteristics of Romances
The Romance is a poem with stanzas of eight-syllable verses, with assonant rhyme in even lines and loose odd lines. These resources updated events and generated suggestive capacity.
Classification of Romances
- Historical
- Literary and Epic
- Romance of Adventure
Significance of Romances
Romances represent the clearest case of human work that overcomes time and the fashions of the time. They represent a worldview, a particular reading of a people, and a culture of myths and beliefs that mark a civilization.
Jorge Manrique
Jorge Manrique’s *Verses on the Death of His Father* is one of the great poetic monuments of Spanish literary history. It is one of the most perfect and emotional funeral compositions of Castilian lyric. Manrique was a member of an influential family of the era, known for the sobriety and restraint of his style.