Castilian Literature: From Don Juan Manuel to the 15th Century

14th Century Prose: Don Juan Manuel

Don Juan Manuel is the most important Castilian prose writer of the 14th century. Belonging to the aristocracy, he experienced periods of alienation and reconciliation with the crown. His most significant work is El Conde Lucanor.

Themes and Structure

Manuel served as a skilled counselor. He reworked earlier traditional stories, providing them with great formal perfection and a complete narrative structure. The author infused them with social, philosophical, and religious depth. The work is a collection of 50 stories, all sharing the same starting point: the Count seeks advice on various topics. The work consists of three books.

Culture and Society in the 15th Century

During the 15th century, the crisis that began in the Middle Ages intensified. The feudal system broke down, and the bourgeoisie took center stage, imposing its own rules. New developments contributed to changing the face of the world as it was then known.

In Spain, the most important political event was the arrival of the Catholic Monarchs, who achieved the territorial unification of the peninsula. However, the major cultural event was the development of Humanism, which arrived from Italy, proposing an admiration for the classics and focusing on anthropology—placing man at the center of the universe.

Popular Lyric and Romances

Castilian traditional songs were compiled in the late 15th century during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs. These songbooks contain short poems that convey great emotional weight with simplicity.

The Romances

Romances are fragments of great epic poems and represent one of the most important manifestations of literature. The public would often ask the minstrel to perform the pieces they liked most.

Themes

• Traditional and Historical: Deeds of heroes.
• Carolingian and Britons: Collected legends.
• Moors: Events occurring at the border.
• Lyric: Love-related issues.
• Fictional: Diverse and imaginative topics.

Metric Structures

They feature an indefinite number of eight-syllable verses with assonant rhyme in even lines.

Style and Main Features

• Simplicity and fragmentation.
• Abundance of dialogue and lack of descriptions.
• Updating of acts for the listener.
• Use of various rhetorical figures.