Medieval Spanish Literature: Cantigas, Mester de Juglaría and Clerecía

Galician-Portuguese Lyric Poetry: The Cantigas

• Cantigas de Amigo: A woman mourns the absence of her beloved.
• Cantigas de Amor: A man sings of the love he feels for his beloved.
• Cantigas de Escarnio: Satirical poems ridiculing a specific person.

Mester de Juglaría: The Minstrels

The juglares were traveling performers who entertained people with shows, recitations, and music in castles and public squares, often working in exchange for food or money. Their literary work, known as Mester de Juglaría, served as a vehicle for spreading news and manners. It is characterized by irregular meter and themes centered on heroic exploits.

El Poema de Mio Cid

This 12th-century manuscript, signed by Per Abbat in 1307, consists of 3,730 irregular verses grouped into tiradas with a central caesura. The theme focuses on the loss and recovery of honor. The Cid is banished but regains his fame and social status through his bravery as a warrior.

Structure of the Poema de Mio Cid

• Song of the Exile: Accused by envious nobles, the Cid is forced to leave Burgos. He leaves his family at the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña and begins his conquests in the Arab peninsula.
• Song of the Wedding: The Cid conquers Valencia. King Alfonso VI arranges the marriage of the Cid's daughters to the Infantes de Carrión.
• The Affront of Corpes: The Infantes, mocked for their cowardice, take revenge by abandoning their wives in the oak forest of Corpes. The Cid recovers his honor and secures his daughters' futures by marrying them to the Infantes of Navarre and Aragon.

Mester de Clerecía

Emerging in the 13th century, this new poetic school targeted the same audience as the minstrels but differed in themes and metrics. While minstrels focused on oral transmission and heroic deeds, the Mester de Clerecía favored moralizing and religious themes, utilizing written texts produced by clergy in monasteries.

Technical Innovations

The Mester de Clerecía introduced a regular metric system, contrasting with the irregularity of the cantares de gesta. They utilized the cuaderna vía stanza, composed of four lines of 14 syllables each with consonant rhyme. A strong pause, or caesura, divides each verse into two equal parts called hemistichs.

Gonzalo de Berceo

The most important author of the Mester de Clerecía and the first known Castilian poet. His life was closely linked to the monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla and Santo Domingo de Silos.