Renaissance and Baroque: Cultural Shifts in European Literature

Renaissance: A Profound Cultural Transformation

The Renaissance was a profound and complex transformation of human culture that manifested itself in all areas of literary life. It marked a return to the artistic and philosophical ideals of the Greco-Latin world in Italy, flourishing during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries in Europe.

Origins and Context

• In the late Middle Ages, the bourgeoisie dedicated itself to business and economic prosperity.
• Intellectuals discovered and imitated Greek and Latin classics.
• Five powerful states acted as patrons.
• Key figures include Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, who established a new heritage.

Humanism

Humanism: An intellectual and cultural movement in Italy and Spain during the 14th to 16th centuries.

Characteristics of Humanism

• Study of classical languages and literatures.
• Imitation of classical models.
• Interest in all aspects regarding human dignity, rationalism, and individualism.
• Greater concern for the vernacular language.

Cultural Context and Themes

The canon of beauty was established in literary work, emphasizing:

• Proportion and order in composition.
• Balance, clarity of language, and rhythm in verse and prose.
• Harmony.
• Themes included classical, secular, pagan, and sensual subjects.

The First Renaissance Period

This period was a transition between two stages:

• Carlos I's Era: Greater vitality, featuring figures like Garcilaso de la Vega.
• Felipe II's Era: Characterized by distrust of other European cultures, featuring figures like Fray Luis de León and Santa Teresa.

Cultural Context of the Baroque

The Baroque period was marked by a pessimistic attitude and a harrowing vision.

Baroque Topics

• Disenchantment with socio-political issues.
• Cultural disillusionment with human expectations.
• Pessimism and doubt.
• Obsession with time, contemplating desolation, ruins, and the transient nature of things.
• The idea of life as a fragile and illusory dream reality.
• The madness of the world and national decline.

Key Differences from the Renaissance

Differences existed in:

• Political movement.
• Animic and social status.
• Religious movement.
• Aesthetic ideal.
• Literary topics (beauty, love, nature, seasons, life, time, landscape, women, and mythology).

Baroque Styles and Concepts

Concept: Conceptismo

Associated with Baltasar Gracián. It tends toward concision and expressive density, sharpness, wit, puns, paradoxes, and antitheses, similar to the style of Francisco de Quevedo.

Culteranismo

Associated with Luis de Góngora. It seeks to create a cultured poetic language, tending toward formal beauty, brilliant sensory elaboration, and a profusion of linguistic resources.

Shared Traits

Both styles rejected the balance of the Renaissance. They shared common features such as underlying vital skepticism and an escape from the conceptual. They upset the balance attending Renaissance resources through stylistic difficulty, exaggeration, and surprise.