Traditional Spanish Literature
Traditional Literature
Oral Literature
Traditional literature in Romance languages was often transmitted orally. Verse, particularly when accompanied by music, was preferred due to its memorability. Poetry was initially oral and anonymous, with minstrels serving as essential transmitters. This poetry endures through tradition and because it was eventually transcribed.
Lyrical Manifestations
Jarchas
Jarchas are a manifestation of lyric poetry in Muslim Spain. These are stanzas of 5 or 6 lines that appear at the end of some poems called moaxajas.
Songs of Friend
In Galicia, similar poems were called songs of friend. These were composed of several stanzas with a parallelistic structure, where a verse from one stanza is repeated in the following with minimal variations.
Carols
The lyrical manifestation of Castile were the carols, composed of minor art verses consisting of two parts: chorus and glosa.
Epic Poetry
Epics and Poems
Epics and poems were recited by minstrels who exalted the feats of a hero. Only three remain in Castile: Cantar de Mio Cid, Cantar de Roncesvalles, and Mocedades de Rodrigo.
Romances
Romances emerged after the epics. These are oral poems of varying length, with eight-syllable verses rhyming in pairs. Odd-numbered verses have loose assonant rhyme.
Their metric connects them to the epic genre, but they are closer to traditional lyricism. They display an essential style, eliminating the superfluous and exhibiting a fragmentary character.
Romances are characterized by simple syntax, archaic language, dialogue, frequent exclamations, questions, references to the listener, and the presence of fixed formulas.
Types of Romances
The set of ballads are called romances. Those stemming from oral traditions are called old ballads, while those created by known authors are new. There are various types of ballads, such as:
- Historical romances (addressing issues from Castilian epics)
- Carolingian and Breton romances (based on French and British epics)
- Border and sea romances (narrating events on the border between Castile and Muslim kingdoms)
- Romantic and lyrical romances (telling stories of love, everyday events, and fabricated stories)
Learned Poetry (13th-14th Centuries)
Mester de Clerecía
These were poems with a didactic intention, utilizing a stanza composed of four 14-syllable lines with a caesura, rhyming in consonant. Principal authors include Gonzalo de Berceo and Juan Ruiz (Archpriest of Hita).
Gonzalo de Berceo
Berceo wrote several religious works, including Miracles of Our Lady. His style is presented as that of a minstrel, adopting a simple yet learned language with Latin influences.
Juan Ruiz (Archpriest of Hita)
Juan Ruiz wrote The Book of Good Love, a masterpiece of Mester de Clerecía. The work is a series of amorous adventures told in the first person, uniting various narrative and lyrical episodes that make up almost two thousand verses.
This book conveys honor and features a rich language that ranges from colloquial to the cultured style of the era.
Cultured Poetry (15th Century)
Cancionero Poetry
The 15th century saw the emergence of many poetry collections called songbooks. The most outstanding is the Cancionero de Palacio. This didactic poetry deals with love and morality, and is inserted into the tradition of courtly love (love as service to a lady who disdains the gentleman).
Prominent Authors
- Marquis of Santillana: Known for his serranillas, short popular compositions.
- Juan de Mena: His main composition is The Labyrinth of Fortune.
- Jorge Manrique: Owes his fame to the verses written on the death of his father. These constitute an elegy combining traditional and original elements.
Coplas por la Muerte de su Padre (Jorge Manrique)
This elegy is divided into three parts:
- Discusses death in general.
- Features the poet’s evocation of historical figures.
- Focuses on the death of the Master, presented as a dialogue between death and the father.
Simplicity predominates in language and metrics. The elegy is composed of 40 stanzas called coplas or coplas manriqueñas, following the pattern 8a 8b 4c 8a 8b 4c 8d 8e 4f 8d 8e 4f.
The Song of Mio Cid
The Song of Mio Cid recounts the exploits of Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. The poem consists of around 4000 verses grouped into stanzas. The lines are between 14 and 16 syllables, divided into two hemistiches separated by a caesura. The rhyme is assonant.
Structure
The poem is divided into three parts:
- The Song of Exile: The Cid is banished.
- The Song of the Wedding: The king arranges the marriage of the Cid’s daughters to the Carrión infants.
- The Song of the Affront: The main theme is honor.
Characteristics
The poem is notable for its realism in the descriptions, the restraint with which characters and actions are drawn, and the optimistic tone that dominates the plot. The text presents a believable story, and the protagonist is presented as a human being. Numerous formulas are used, appealing to the listener and highlighting the epic epithets.