Renaissance and Baroque: Literature and Culture in Europe

Renaissance and Baroque: Literature and Culture

Renaissance (16th Century)

The Renaissance was a movement that transformed the cultural life of Europe. It represented a resurgence of Greek and classical Latin culture, shifting from the medieval theological perspective to a new humanist culture.

Characteristics of Humanists

Humanists were men dedicated to the study of the humanities. Key characteristics include:

• Study of classical Greek and Latin languages.
• Enthusiastic appreciation for the world and human knowledge.

Humanist Worldview

• The world is a beautiful place, and life should be enjoyed.
• Man is the center of the world and made to measure (anthropocentrism).
• Human perfection lies in the balanced development of all human potential.

Renaissance Literature

Key themes in Renaissance literature include:

• Love: Influenced by the Italian poet Petrarch, often associated with melancholy, nostalgia, and pain (due to the absence of the beloved or unrequited love).
• Nature: Actions are often situated in idealized landscapes.
• Myths: Classical Greek and Latin myths are transformed into beautiful fantasies.

Garcilaso de la Vega

Garcilaso de la Vega adapted Italian poetry, especially the hendecasyllable, to Spanish. He was the first to use the lira (a five-line stanza) in Spanish poetry. His main themes were love, nature, and mythology.

Fray Luis de Leon

Fray Luis de Leon was imprisoned by the Inquisition in 1572. After five years, he was declared innocent in 1591 and died shortly thereafter. His most famous works include "Ode to a Retired Life", "Serene Night", and "Ode to Francisco Salinas".

Baroque (17th Century)

The Baroque was a cultural and ideological movement that developed in Spain and Europe during the 17th century. It was a time of crisis and decline. Two characteristic traits of the 17th century and the Baroque are pessimism and disillusionment: the world is full of false appearances and deceit, and living is like a dream.

Traits of Baroque Literature

• Complication: Great elaboration and formal complexity make the literature difficult to understand.
• Difficulty: Formal difficulty is synonymous with beauty. Reality is distorted (as seen in Quevedo's work) or artificially embellished (as in Góngora's).
• Originality: A search for original expression to provoke amazement and surprise in the public.

Themes of Baroque Literature

Many themes are inherited from the Renaissance but expressed in different ways. The most common are the fleeting nature of things and life. Philosophical, satirical, and burlesque themes are also frequent.

Culteranismo and Conceptismo

Two tendencies coexist: a popular one and a more cultured one. Two main currents stand out: Conceptismo and Culteranismo. Both aim to achieve beauty and surprise but differ in their methods.