Key Literary Periods and Medieval Spanish Traditions

Literary Periods and Traditions

Early Cultural Divisions

• Phase Arc: Anonymous art, anomalous worship, and the traditional division between conventionally educated and religious ceremonial folk.
• Cult TV: Exclusion of religious ceremonial folk.
• Reclassification: Standards of text structuring.

Classical and Pre-Baroque Phases

• Classical Phase:
  • Economic Idealism: Supreme values.
  • Aristotelianism: Dominance of reason and rationalism.
• Pre-Baroque: Hypercritical formalism.

Post-Classical or Baroque Period

The Post-Classical or Baroque period is characterized by hypercritical, dramatic, and disharmonious irrationalism, with classic and Baroque works often alternating.

Medieval Literary Traditions

Mester de Juglaría

This tradition, influenced by Germanic, Visigothic, and Celtic sagas from the 11th to 15th centuries, was also shaped by Mozarabic lyrical poetry and traditional Galician forms, later spreading to Portuguese and Mozarabic regions. It encompassed popular oral traditions, primarily sung by Juglares. Lyrical poetry also developed later within this tradition.

A Juglar was a performer who recited songs and poems, often accompanied by an instrument, and performed plays (e.g., at fairs, in specific locations like ACIA and Malabo).

Chanson de Geste

During the 12th and 13th centuries, Chansons de Geste were orally disseminated by Juglares due to widespread illiteracy. While their length varied from 2,000 to 20,000 verses, they typically did not exceed 4,000. These lengthy poems, often recited by a Juglar in public, sometimes required the narrative to be fragmented over more than a day.

The Cantar de Mio Cid

The Cantar de Mio Cid tells the story of the hero's last days. It is the only epic poem from this period that has been preserved, comprising 3,730 lines with only a few verses missing from the beginning and end. It is associated with traditionalist and individualistic theories.

The poem is composed of three cantos:

• The Exile
• The Wedding
• The Insult of Corpes

Medieval Languages and Poetic Forms

Mozarabic

A language spoken by Hispano-Romans under Arab and Muslim rule, with influences from Arabic and Aramaic.

Sephardic (Ladino)

A language spoken by the Jewish community, a mix of Hebrew and Romance languages derived from Vulgar Latin in Hispania.

Medieval Literary Evolution

Medieval literature encompassed both:

• Cultured (Written) Texts: Visigothic Ecclesiastical Latin and Vulgar Hispano-Romanic literature, including legal and religious documents.
• Popular (Oral) Traditions: Legends, myths, sagas, festive epigrams, songs, and rituals.

Jarcha

A short, improvised poem, often recited by a woman, found at the end of a Mozarabic muwashshah. These poems were typically dedications to a beloved and consisted of 3 or 4 rhyming verses.

The Baroque Period

The Baroque was a significant period in Western cultural history that produced influential works in literature, sculpture, painting, architecture, music, and dance. It spanned from approximately 1600 to 1750 and is typically situated between the Renaissance and Neoclassical periods. The Baroque is often divided into early, middle, and late stages.