Evolution of Medieval Spanish and Catalan Literature
Medieval Spanish and Catalan Literature
Lírica Culta (Courtly Lyric)
- Catalan Canso: A love composition, always written from men to women, reflecting loving relationships modeled on lord and vassal, using feudal language.
- Sirventes: A composition of reprimand, personal attack, or literary polemics.
- Galician-Portuguese (GP): Songbook of jokes and religious songbooks.
- Arabic Lyric: Zejel and Muwashshah.
- Courtly Love: La cortesia (courtesy) supposed moral and social perfection, and included the concepts of loyalty, bravery, and generosity. In short, it was the art of loving service to the lady, who was considered superior.
Lírica Popular (Popular Lyric)
- Jarcha: (Featuring the term habib) A love poem where the speaker is a girl in love who tells of her suffering to her mother or sisters.
- Cantiga de Amigo: A young woman's feelings of love expressed to her mother or friends.
- Carol (Villancico): Poems importing to nature, typically consisting of 3 verses.
Linguistic Influences and Early Texts
- Substrate: The linguistic influence left by conquered peoples while speaking Latin.
- Superstrate: The linguistic influence left on Latin by invading peoples.
- Glosses: Early Spanish glosses such as the Glosas Emilianenses or Glosas Silenses.
15th-Century Castilian Lyric
Jorge Manrique
Famous for his 15th-century Castilian lyric, specifically the manriqueña couplet (copla de pie quebrado) consisting of 12 lines (two stanzas of 6 lines each) with the rhyme scheme: 8a 8b 4c 8a 8b 4c 8d 8e 4f 8d 8e 4f.
The work is structured into three parts:
- Part 1 (Stanzas 1-14): Disparages the temporal world and focuses on the spiritual world and what lasts.
- Part 2 (Stanzas 15-24): Focuses on the ubi sunt? motif (where are they now?).
- Part 3 (Stanzas 25-40): Focuses on the equalizing power of death, the exaltation of his father Rodrigo Manrique, and finally, a dialogue with Death.
Mester de Clerecía (Ministry of Clergy)
Emerging in the 13th century, these are narrative texts of a religious or heroic character with a moral or didactic intention. The authors express their erudition, referring to the written sources on which they are based. They are written in verse and use a regular meter, the cuaderna vía: Alexandrian quatrains with monorhyme consonant rhyme. This literature was disseminated orally in sermons or by minstrels.
Gonzalo de Berceo
The first named Castilian poet, abandoning the anonymity of the epic and proud of his name. Berceo's texts correspond to a plan of the Church. It was necessary to instruct the lower clergy, who were often ignorant and lacked religious training. Berceo's poems are addressed to monks and priests so they could convey Christian teachings to their flock in the vernacular.
- Hagiographic works: Vida de San Millán de la Cogolla.
- Marian works: Praises of Our Lady.
- Doctrinal work: The Sacrifice of the Mass.
Miracles of Our Lady (Milagros de Nuestra Señora)
Berceo exalts the power of the Virgin Mary as a mediator in the salvation of souls. It consists of two parts: an introduction (depicting a locus amoenus) and a set of twenty-five miracles showing Mary's merciful action and her intercessory power before Christ.
The Book of Good Love (Libro de Buen Amor)
Written by the Archpriest of Hita, this work is structured as an autobiography of love affairs using the cuaderna vía meter. It contains didactic or moralistic digressions, with the intention to induce "good love" (spiritual love).
The Romances
- Old Romances (Romancero Viejo): Anonymous works dating up to the 16th century, preserved through oral transmission.
- New Romances (Romancero Nuevo): Composed by known poets of the late 16th century.