Renaissance Humanism and Spanish Literary Masters

Foundations of Renaissance Thought

Francesco Petrarch and Humanism

Why was Francesco Petrarch important? He was one of the primary promoters of Humanism. This movement introduced Anthropocentrism: the belief that the human being is the center of all things.

Erasmus of Rotterdam: Tolerance and Secularism

Who was Erasmus of Rotterdam? He was a Dutchman who defended religious tolerance and emphasized the importance of secular Christianity.

Baldassare Castiglione's Ideal Man

What were the ideas presented in the work of Baldassare Castiglione? The ideal of the knight and the cultured and educated man.

Medieval vs. Renaissance Ideals

Comparing Medieval and Renaissance ideas reveals fundamental shifts:

• Culture Development: Culture developed primarily in monasteries (Medieval) vs. Humanist thought taking hold (Renaissance).
• Worldview: The age of Theocentrism (Medieval) vs. Anthropocentrism (Renaissance).
• Poetic Meter: The Heptasyllable was used (Medieval) vs. the Octosyllable (Renaissance).

The Spanish Renaissance: Periods and Authors

The Spanish Renaissance is divided into two stages:

1. The Early Renaissance (under Charles I).
2. The Second Renaissance (under Philip II).

Garcilaso de la Vega: Early Renaissance Poet

Garcilaso de la Vega belongs to the Early Renaissance. Other authors of this period include Boscán and López de Rueda.

Innovations in Spanish Poetry

Garcilaso's innovations established the poetic ideal of the reign of Charles I. His themes included the wars between Spain and France for European hegemony. It was Charles I who influenced Garcilaso de la Vega to use Italian metrical forms.

Garcilaso's Defining Traits

Garcilaso's poetry is defined by the theme of love, which is where his works most excel.

Characteristics of the Late 16th Century

The characteristics of the second half of the 16th century include:

• Suspicion regarding contact with other European cultures.
• Nationalization of Renaissance elements.
• The influence of the Counter-Reformation.

Authors of the Second Renaissance

Key authors of the second half of the sixteenth century in Spain were Fray Luis de León, St. John of the Cross, and St. Teresa of Jesus.

Spanish Mystical Authors and the Via Mystica

St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus

The religious current shared by St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Jesus is the union of the soul with God, known as the Via Mystica.

Works associated with this era include Dark Night of the Soul, Spiritual Canticle, and Living Flame of Love (works primarily by St. John of the Cross).

The Mystical Path (Via Mystica)

The three stages of the mystical path are:

1. The Purgative Way.
2. The Illuminative Way.
3. The Unitive Way.

New Literary Genres of the Renaissance

The Eclogue and Locus Amoenus

An Eclogue is a composition in which two or more pastors express their grievances amidst romantic, idealized nature.

The Locus Amoenus is the concept of the “pleasant place,” sometimes associated with the theme of “Mad Love.”

The Novel Genre

New novel genres in the Renaissance included the realistic and the idealistic novel.

The Picaresque Novel: Defining Characteristics

The Picaresque Novel is defined by the following characteristics:

• The story takes place in the first person.
• It describes the events and vicissitudes of a real character, the rogue (*pícaro*).
• The rogue is born into a family without honor.
• The rogue fails to rise in social class.
• The work is open-ended; new episodes can always be added.

Canary Islands Renaissance Poet

The Canary Islands Renaissance poet was Bartolomé Cairasco de Figueroa, who wrote Tragedy and Martyrdom of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.