Spanish Renaissance and Baroque Literature: A Golden Age of Poetry
First Rebirth: Spain’s Literary Renaissance
Spain, an outward-looking and growing country, favored a rapprochement with the European mainstream, especially in Italy. The influence of Italian opera led to the adoption of new poetic forms, including heroic verse, seven-syllable lines, sonnets, octava real, and lira.
The aesthetic ideal emphasized naturalness and avoided affectation. Imitatio was readily accepted. Garcilaso de la Vega stands out as the most representative author of this period.
The dominant theme of the early Renaissance is love, influenced by Petrarchan style and themes. This love is often characterized by conflict between desire and the impossibility of consummation, expressed through abundant antitheses. The lyrics express deep personal feelings, often reflecting a love of nature. Mythological themes are also prevalent.
The Lyric in the Early Renaissance
The lyric underwent a significant evolution in both themes and form during this period. Garcilaso de la Vega is considered a key figure in this transformation. His work, though brief, is of exceptional quality, comprising 3 Eclogues, 38 sonnets, 2 elegies, 4 songs, and 1 ode. Garcilaso successfully introduced Italian poetic forms into Spanish literature.
A Petrarchan poet in both form and content, Garcilaso adopted a meticulous Italian style bordering on perfection, prioritizing lyrical emotion. This makes him a foundational figure in modern Spanish poetry.
His work focuses almost exclusively on the theme of love, exploring two distinct attitudes:
- Poetry in vita, written during the life of his beloved Elizabeth, expresses the pain of unrequited love and jealousy.
- Poetry in morte, composed after Elizabeth’s death, conveys a sorrowful love marked by its ultimate impossibility. It evokes fond memories of the past, suggesting a time when the relationship felt complete.
Garcilaso’s style is characterized by a pursuit of perfection, evident in its musicality, smoothness (particularly in his use of epithets), and elegance. His style blends rhetorical elements from both Castilian and Italian traditions.
Moral and Religious Poetry
The 15th century witnessed a flourishing of ascetic and mystical literature. In Spain, this occurred later due to two factors:
- The Counter-Reformation following the Council of Trent aimed to prevent the spread of Protestant ideas, leading to censorship and restrictions on intellectual exchange.
- The Renaissance saw a revival of traditional religious themes and forms from the Middle Ages, which blended with Italianate forms and spirit. This fusion gave rise to two distinct streams:
- Asceticism: A theological approach focused on the path of perfection, where the soul, through spiritual exercises, is purified and detached from earthly pleasures and possessions. Key figures include Luis de Granada and Fray Luis de León.
- Mysticism: A spiritual state involving the direct experience or knowledge of divinity, seen as a gift from God. Mystics sought union with God through three paths:
- Purification: Cleansing the soul through penance and rejection of worldly attachments.
- Illumination: The soul is enlightened with special, non-worldly knowledge.
- Union: The soul merges with God in a state of ecstasy.
Fray Luis de León
Fray Luis de León wrote both prose and verse. His prose works include The Perfect Wife and The Names of Christ. His verse, though limited, showcases a masterful use of the ode, exploring ascetic and philosophical themes. He reflects on the simple life and the rejection of material goods. His style embodies the Renaissance spirit, characterized by formal simplicity, harmony, and meticulous craftsmanship.
The Baroque Era
Spanning from the reign of Felipe III (1598-1621) to the death of Calderón de la Barca (1680), the Baroque period was marked by pessimism and a rejection of the utopian view of man as the center of the universe. Art became a form of escape or reflection, leading to seemingly contradictory expressions: the “art for art’s sake” of Góngora, Quevedo’s political critique, and a pervasive pessimism. The passage of time became a central theme.
Antithesis and contrast are defining features of Baroque literature. The intensification of literary devices is also typical, replacing harmony with a cumulative style prone to exaggeration, aiming to impress the senses and imagination.
Three Baroque Trends
- Conceptismo: Exemplified by Quevedo, this style prioritizes complex and witty wordplay, often using metaphors, allegories, and comparisons for humorous effect.
- Culteranismo: Associated with Góngora, this style employs elaborate language, Latinate syntax, and daring metaphors, appealing to the senses rather than intellect.
- Balance between Expression and Content: This approach maintains a balance between form and content, reflecting the baroque sensibility through pessimism or extreme vitalism.
Quevedo’s Lyric
Quevedo’s poetry is characterized by contrasts, ranging from mockery and criticism to profound reflection. His work explores political, philosophical, romantic, and burlesque themes, expressing a distrust of humanity and a Baroque worldview. He also addresses themes of aging and death.
Luis de Góngora
Góngora’s lyrical work includes both shorter poems (letrillas, ballads, and sonnets) and longer poems (Fable of Pyramus and Thisbe, Panegyric to the Duke of Lerma, Solitudes, Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea). He explores themes such as carpe diem, decrepitude, old age, and the passage of time.
His style evolves from a simpler, religious style in his early work to a highly complex and artificial culteranismo in his later poems, considered the pinnacle of his lyrical and Baroque achievements. His innovative poetry has influenced various literary movements, including 20th-century Pure poetry.
Lope de Vega’s Poetry
Lope de Vega, a prolific writer, captured public taste with his expressive personality. His lyrical work includes letrillas, sonnets, and ballads, covering religious, moral, burlesque, and love themes. His style achieves a balance between form and content, reflecting his diverse experiences in his poetry.