The Spanish Novel During the Renaissance
Types of Novels
Byzantine Novels
The Byzantine novel, a subgenre discovered with Heliodorus’s “Ethiopian Story,” features a couple whose love is challenged by fate but ultimately reunited. Popular fifty years before the discovery of America, these novels are set on journeys filled with obstacles like pirates, storms, and captivity.
Byzantine novels incorporated narrative techniques such as in medias res (beginning in the middle of the story) and the interpolation of stories (to maintain suspense, add variety, and teach lessons).
Pastoral Novels
Pastoral novels, inspired by Greek storytellers, focus on shepherds and their love lives. Key examples include Jacopo Sannazaro’s “Arcadia” (1504) and Jorge de Montemayor’s “Diana” (1559).
These novels blend bucolic settings with courtly love, creating a backdrop for realistic characters and their stories. Like Byzantine novels, they often involve journeys, but the focus is on the characters’ pursuit of happiness rather than adventure.
Pastoral novels utilize a two-part structure: one in the present and the other in the past. The romanticized setting incorporates elements of the “Locus amoenus” trope. Despite not being adventure-driven, they share the in medias res beginning and interpolated stories with Byzantine novels.
Dialogue plays a central role, with minimal narrator intervention. Letters and poems occasionally interrupt the dialogue.
Other Types of Novels
Celestina Novels
Inspired by Fernando de Rojas’s “La Celestina,” these novels revolve around love stories facilitated by servants and a pimp.
Sentimental Novels
These novels explore the theme of unhappy passion, often incorporating historical facts and epistolary narrative. Diego de San Pedro’s “Prison of Love” is a notable example.
Chivalric Novels
Following the medieval chivalric romance tradition, these novels feature protagonists who are either medieval knights, Christian knights, or gentleman adventurers. “Amadis of Gaul” and “Palmerin of Olive” are popular examples.
Morisca Novels
These novels depict life on the border between Castile and the last Muslim kingdom in the 15th century. Unlike chivalric novels, they use real toponyms. The main characters often exhibit chivalric traits. “History of Abencerraje” is a representative example.
Lazarillo de Tormes (1554, Anonymous)
“Lazarillo de Tormes” follows the life of Lazarus, a child who leaves his family to serve various masters and learn different trades. The novel’s structure reflects three stages of Lazarus’s life: Childhood (blind man, cleric, squire), Adolescence (friar, pardoner, chaplain), and Youth (bailiff, archbishop).
Unlike other novels that start from scratch, Lazarus’s character develops through his experiences and adventures. He is portrayed as a lonely individual navigating a challenging world.
The novel takes the form of a letter written by the adult Lazarus, who serves as the narrator. The narrative emphasizes certain periods over others, highlighting the narrator’s selective perspective.
The novel employs various speech types, including referential, descriptive, and dramatic. Evaluative and universal discourse are also prominent. Lazarus humorously uses Gospel passages and puns. Irony is achieved through the use of diminutives and antithesis. Three types of irony are evident: protagonist-directed, master-directed, and author-directed.
Cervantes
La Galatea (1585)
This unfinished pastoral novel centers on the theme of love. The plot, set in a limited space and time, revolves around the love between two shepherds. It incorporates elements such as interpolated stories, poems, and debates.
Exemplary Novels (1613)
This collection of twelve stories represents a high point in Cervantes’s literary output. The stories are diverse in nature, ranging from realistic and idealistic to critical and burlesque. They lack a common framework but showcase rich and complex narrative modes. Love and friendship are recurring themes, and “Rinconete y Cortadillo” is a particularly noteworthy story.
The Travails of Persiles and Sigismunda (1617)
This Byzantine novel tells the story of a noble young couple who embark on a long journey through northern Europe, Spain, and Italy. They face numerous dangers, overcome them gracefully, and eventually marry.
Don Quixote
The most famous novel in Spanish literature, “Don Quixote” was published in two parts: the first in 1605 and the second in 1615.
First Part (1605)
The first part consists of a prologue, burlesque poems at the beginning and end, and fifty-two chapters divided into four sections.
Second Part (1615)
The second part consists of a prologue and seventy-four chapters without a formal division into sections.
Foreword
Cervantes states that his initial intention was to critique books of chivalry, which he considered poorly written, implausible, and obscene. This criticism becomes a fundamental element of the novel.
Structure
The nobleman Alfonso Quijano, driven mad by reading books of chivalry, transforms into Don Quixote and falls in love with Dulcinea del Toboso. He embarks on a series of adventures in search of fame.
- Three Departures: Don Quixote initially leaves his village alone, later accompanied by his squire Sancho Panza, and eventually joined by the bachelor Samson Carrasco.
- Series of Adventures: Don Quixote confronts reality, which he perceives in a distorted manner. He experiences numerous failures. In the third departure, a shift occurs: the protagonist is no longer mistaken, but others manipulate reality for their own benefit or to mock him.
- Return to the Village: Each of the three departures concludes with Don Quixote’s return home. He eventually dies in the final return.
Characters
- Don Quixote: Described as tall, thin, old, angry, educated, a voracious reader, single, lonely, brave, impulsive, rural, and poor.
- Sancho Panza: Short, pot-bellied, prudent, illiterate, married, practical, peaceful, complex, and independent. He appears both foolish and insightful, but he is ultimately kind and compassionate.
Themes and Meaning
“Don Quixote” has been interpreted in various ways, ranging from a satirical comedy to an idealistic novel. It has also been described as a realistic work and a perspectival work. Recent interpretations have re-emphasized its mock-heroic aspect.
The most prominent theme is literature itself, which is present throughout the novel. The act of reading and writing is critically examined.