Classical Poetry's Evolution: From Humanism to Aristotelianism (16th-18th Centuries)

The Classical Period in Poetry: 16th-18th Centuries

Defining the Classical Series in Poetry

The Classical Series refers to a significant three-century period (16th, 17th, and the first half of the 18th century) during which poetry waged a fierce battle to break free from the restrictions imposed by more dogmatic poetic rules. This long period marked a transformation, after which poetry became a subject of literary study and criticism.

Poetic Revival in the 16th Century

The 16th century focused on the resurrection of a poetic culture that had been diluted by moral and religious influences during the later centuries of the Middle Ages.

Humanism: A Bridge to Modern Poetics

Humanism, as a movement that opened up man's unforeseen possibilities, combined with an appreciation for the discourses he produced, among which poetic discourse held an important place. However, what truly characterizes this period is its transitional nature between two cultural behaviors:

• The use of tradition and authority, typical of the Middle Ages, which Lotean defined as the aesthetics of identity.
• The characteristic behavior of the modern age, definitively established with Romanticism, which embraced aesthetic rupture, what Lotean called the opposition.

Classicism: The Aesthetics of Identity

Classicism, embodying the Beauty of Identity, is exemplified by works such as Tablas Poéticas by Francisco Cascales.

Humanism: The Aesthetics of Opposition

Humanism, embodying the Beauty of the Opposition, is exemplified by works such as Philosophia Antigua Poética by Alonso López Pinciano.

In early humanistic poetry, there was a firm will to free poetry from any restriction that did not originate from the artist's inherent right or vision. Poetry struggled to achieve the status of a liberal art. This moment is represented in Spain by Alonso López Pinciano's Philosophia Antigua Poética, where categorical statements can be read, such as: "No hay retórica sin razón, ni poesía sin razón, porque la razón es la fuente de todas las cosas." (There is no rhetoric without reason, nor poetry without reason, because reason is the source of all things.)

But soon, as European absolute monarchies realized how dangerous radical humanism was for them, this attitude was replaced by a dogmatic Aristotelianism, which constituted Classicism. Spain saw its most perfect representation in Francisco Cascales's Tablas Poéticas, published in 1617.