Medieval Spanish Literature: Metrics, Genres, and Church Influence

Metric: Castilian Lyric

In traditional lyric poems, minor art of different sizes, assonance, and rhyme predominate. Carols, composed of a chorus and verse, encompass two or three verses that are repeated. It is a poem of art minor verses, usually with assonance rhyme.

Jarcha

Most jarchas have four verses, with a widespread tendency to rhyme even verses only (although there is some cross-rhyme and common even rhyme). The next most frequent are two verses, and trísticos also abound, usually monorhythmic, but also of two rhymes. The most frequent verse types are hexasyllabic, octosyllabic, and heptasyllabic. The rhyme is generally consonant, though often imperfect.

Epic: Song of My Cid

Each verse is divided into two hemistiches by a caesura. Both the number of syllables in each line and the syllables in each hemistich vary considerably. All verses rhyme in assonance. The verses are grouped into runs of variable length, ranging between 3 and 90 verses, each with the same rhyme, often forming a piece of content, although the change of assonance is not reduced to rules. It consists of 3,630 verses.

Mester de Clerecía

Uses cuaderna vía, a four-stanza verse form. Each verse has 14 syllables and is called Alexandrian. Each stanza has the same consonant rhyme scheme: AAAA. Notable authors include Gonzalo de Berceo and the Archpriest of Hita (Libro de Buen Amor).

Church Influence

Castilian Lyric

The Church participated in the development of literature in several ways, becoming its guardian and disseminator. The Church also aimed to indoctrinate the people, which could only be done in the vernacular. To reach people, it utilized existing popular genres. The Church imposed an eminently educational approach, favoring studies and evangelization.

Jarcha

Jarchas belong to popular lyric, and the Church became a refuge of culture, facilitating the birth of universities and the spread of culture.

The Clergy

Benefited similarly to the nobility. Bishops and abbots enjoyed similar or greater status than noble clergy. Lower clergy faced conditions similar to the most needy.

Epic: Song of My Cid

The Church's role was mainly to indoctrinate people and transmit culture. Monasteries preserved culture and were the origin of the first universities. The Church held a prominent place in medieval society; monasteries and cathedrals were centers of influence and culture, imbuing all life activities with a religious spirit. Latin was the language of the clergy, but to spread doctrine, preachers began using Castilian.

Mester de Clerecía

This movement was composed of clerics and intellectuals. Gonzalo de Berceo's works include Lives of Saints, such as the life of San Millán de la Cogolla, reflecting his strong connection to the region. He also wrote Praises of Our Lady and Joys of the Virgin, emphasizing the Virgin Mary's role in salvation. Archpriest of Hita differed from goliardic poets; he was not fond of wine and gambling but shared their amorous appetite. Despite Christianity being the majority religion, 14th-century Spanish society was diverse, with Christians, Arabs, Jews, Moors, and Mozarabs coexisting. The Archpriest's love affairs reflected this diversity, seeking nuns and others alike.