16th Century Spanish Prose: Religious, Didactic, and Literary Fiction

Prose in the Sixteenth Century

Didactic or Humanist Prose

Didactic or humanist prose was used to teach, as exemplified by Juan Valdés in his work *Dialogue of Language*.

Religious Prose

Key figures in religious prose include:

• San Juan de la Cruz, who described in his prose the mystical experiences found in his poetry.
• Fray Luis de León, known for *The Names of Christ* and *The Perfect Wife*, a work on the role of the Christian woman.
• Santa Teresa de Jesús, author of *The Book of Life*, chronicling her life from childhood to the founding of her first convent, and her most important work, *Interior Castle* or *The Mansions*, where she recounts an allegorical vision: a castle with seven chambers that the soul must traverse to achieve mystical union with God.

Literary or Fictional Prose

Novels of this period covered various themes, including:

• Books of Chivalry: These featured the exploits of medieval knights, infused with fantasy and imagination. They were often censored by critics and moralists of the time. A notable example is *Amadis of Gaul* by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.
• Pastoral Novel: Of Greco-Latin origin and imported from Italy, these novels focused on idealized shepherds in a natural setting. Key works include *The Seven Books of Diana* by Jorge de Montemayor and *Galatea* by Cervantes.
• Moorish Novel: Based on border romances, these novels depicted fictional adventures between Arabs and Christians during the Reconquista. *The Abencerraje* by Montemayor is a prominent example.
• Byzantine Novel: These novels recounted fabulous adventures of two lovers in imaginary times and places until their eventual reunion. Cervantes' *The Works of Persiles and Sigismunda* is a notable example.

*Lazarillo de Tormes* and the Picaresque Novel

The picaresque novel is a realistic form of fiction. A seminal work in this genre is *Lazarillo de Tormes*, whose full title is *The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities*. This anonymous book is considered the first realistic novel and inaugurated the picaresque genre.

The rogue is an anti-hero who does whatever it takes to survive in a hostile world without honor. Lázaro, after suffering hunger and abuse under his former masters, comes to despise honor and instead seeks to maintain his newfound good fortune. Each of his masters represents a different type of person. Lázaro is an original character, a low-born boy presented within a hostile reality. The novel's main characteristic is its autobiographical nature; Lázaro pretends to tell his life to someone who is only known as "your worship".

Although it appears to be written in simple language, the novel is full of sayings and colloquial phrases, and it also employs formal language. It possesses a great capacity for verisimilitude, making everything it recounts seem credible.