Courtly Literature and Traditional Folk Poetry: A Study

Courtly Literature and Folk Poetry

Courtly literature reflects the noble class undergoing a profound transformation of its customs and procedures. Around the king and great literary masters, a new ideal emerges, anticipating the Renaissance perfect gentleman. There is a strong relationship between literature and courtly life.

Court Poetry

Court poetry served as learned counsel for the minority at court and was collected in songbooks and poetry anthologies, showcasing the works of numerous authors. The influence of Provencal troubadour literature led to the development of courtly love poetry. Moral didactic poetry, also inspired by love, addressed lofty themes with a solemn and sententious tone.

Italian Renaissance Influence

Echoes of the great Italian masters, Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch, are evident. The influence of Greco-Roman culture manifests in an interest in the classics, although initially, it is a rather formal humanism.

Great Poets of the Fifteenth Century

• The Marquis of Santillana: A powerful noble warrior with broad humanistic culture, he assembled a well-stocked library, demonstrating a taste for Italian authors and works of classical antiquity.
• Juan de Mena: Latin secretary to King Juan II, he was a humanist with a love of classical culture who surrendered completely to literary creation.
• Jorge Manrique: Actively participated in the politics of his time and died very young in an act of war, fighting as part of the band of the future Queen Isabella against his brother, King Enrique IV.

Traditional Folk Poetry

Traditional folk lyric poetry presents two main forms: romances and widespread oral traditions, often scorned by learned poets. Born from popular lyrics, it appealed to people from the noble to the humblest illiterate. Its themes are universal: love, loneliness, and death. It is a traditional oral poetry.

The Jarchas Mozarabes

The jarchas mozarabes are the earliest manifestations of peninsular lyrical romance. They are brief, four-line folk ditties composed in the Mozarabic dialect, traditionally collected and preserved orally by Hebrew and Arab poets. Most of them express a girl's feelings of being in love.