Renaissance Cultural Shifts and Literary Forms

Changes in the Renaissance

Shifting Worldview

• A change in attitude toward death emerged; the focus shifted to enjoying life: Carpe Diem.
• City-states were born and rose, where the bourgeoisie (craft and trade) lived.
• Cathedrals and universities were built; culture became widespread.
• Handling money began; an anthropocentric system replaced the previous one.
• Religion became secondary to earthly life and material matters.

Renaissance Poetry: Themes and Forms

Italian Origins

Renaissance poetry began in Italia. The great authors were Dante and Petrarch, with love as the principal theme. New forms included the sonnet and the lira, employing new metaphors. Other themes included love, beauty, and nature.

Religious Poetry

Religious poetry can be divided into:

• Ascetic: Spoke of improving the religious life.
• Mysticism: Described direct experience with God.

The most famous authors are:

• Fray Luis de León (Ascetic)
• Santa Teresa de Jesús and San Juan de la Cruz (Mystical)

Recurring Topics

These are ideas that repeat, inspired by the rebirth of Greek and Latin thought:

• Carpe Diem
• Locus Amoenus (Pleasant Place)
• Beatus Ille (Happy That Man)

Sixteenth Century Novel Genres

The 16th century saw various novel types:

• Cavalry: (e.g., Amadís de Gaula)
• Pastoral: (e.g., La Diana)
• Moorish: (e.g., El Abencerraje)
• Byzantine: (e.g., Persiles y Sigismunda)
• Cervantes: (Pastoral: La Galatea; Cavalry: Don Quixote)

The Picaresque Novel

The picaresque novel:

• Is written in the first person, often as a false autobiography.
• The main character is poor and anonymous.
• It criticizes the Church and society.
• It is realistic; its character is not a hero but grows within the novel.

The Great Journeys of the Renaissance

The Renaissance was a time of great voyages as humanity sought to know the world.

• From Venice, Marco Polo traveled to Asia and China, bringing back pulp paper.
• The Portuguese route crossed Africa to reach all of Asia, avoiding the Silk Road expenses.
• The most famous route was that of Columbus, who sailed west seeking Asia but discovered America.
• The caravan route transported silk, spices, and perfume.

Pastoral Theme in Literature

The pastoral theme is proper to both poets and novelists:

• In verse, it is called Eclogues.
• In novels, pastoral novels tell the stories of educated and beautiful shepherds.

Sonnet and Lira Structure

• A sonnet is a poem composed of 14 hendecasyllable lines, grouped in two quatrains and two tercets.
• A lira is a verse form of 5 lines, consisting of seven-syllable lines and hendecasyllables.