Medieval Catalan Literature: Authors and Works

Ramon Llull

In 1263, as described in his autobiography, Vita coaetanea, Ramon Llull had a series of visions of Jesus Christ crucified, which led him to dedicate his life to the following:

• Writing works to disseminate Christian doctrine.
• Founding schools to teach his philosophical system, as well as Arabic and other Oriental languages.
• Undertaking apostolic trips to convert people.

Ramon Llull's Works

Llull developed a philosophical system known as the Art, which sought to establish a relationship between reason (philosophy) and faith (truth).

Religious, Educational, and Moral Works:

• Book of Contemplation (an encyclopedic work preceding the Art)
• Poetry that includes the mystical theme in poetic prose.
• Novels intended for readers to understand and serve God, such as the book Wonders.

James I and Ramon Muntaner

Book of Deeds (Llibre dels Fets): The first of the four great Catalan chronicles, it is a narrative work on medieval historical subjects, presented as an autobiography of James I of Aragon.

Chronicle of Ramon Muntaner: This chronicle focuses on historical events and aims to show how the deeds of the kings of Aragon are a result of God's favor. From this premise, other ideological points are derived:

1. Some of the kings of Aragon are seen as real models.
2. Exaltation of the political unity of his nation.
3. Praise of the Catalan language and its unity across the linguistic domain.

Ausias March

Ausias March's poetic works consist of 128 classical poems with decasyllabic lines, arranged in stanzas of eight verses called couplets. The last stanza of each composition is usually a tornada of four verses.

March displays a lyrical style, theorizing about the moral and psychological aspects of love. The poet addresses those whose love produces suffering. The spiritual figure of the woman is not an ideal being but a psychological reality, posing a credible human relationship. In a personal, moral framework, he expresses the vicissitudes of a man divided between body and spirit.

Poetry of the Troubadours

Troubadour poetry was the first great literary expression in a Romance language.

Features:

• It is sung poetry.
• It is written in Occitan.
• It began with the troubadour Guillem de Poitiers.

Courtly Love

Courtly love is a kind of refined love triangle. The troubadour dedicated love poems to the wife of a nobleman. The key figures were:

• The Troubadour (nos, meaning "vassals")
• The Lady (midons, meaning "my lady")
• The Husband (gilós, meaning "jealous")

The feeling of love ennobles the troubadour and fills him with values.

Styles of the Troubadours

• Trobar leu: A poetic style that seeks expressive simplicity to thrill the audience directly.
• Trobar clus: Characterized by secrecy in the meaning given to words.
• Trobar ric: A more elaborate and ornate style.

Catalan Troubadours

• Guillem de Berguedà: Known for his elegant love songs, and especially for his sirventesos (political or satirical poems).
• Alfonso I of Aragon: He composed songs and attracted the main troubadours of the era to his court, who wrote sirventesos favorable to his policies.
• Guillem de Cabestany: A troubadour known for his love songs.
• Cerverí de Girona: A troubadour who played with the clichés of courtly love, the pastorela (a genre of troubadour poetry), the royal politics of his time, and moral reflections.