Renaissance Literature: Key Authors and Genres

Renaissance: New Ideas

• Appreciation of human beings: Anthropocentrism and individualism
• Critical spirit
• New force of classical culture
• New conception of the state: The Prince by Machiavelli
• New forms of social relations: Bourgeoisie (new values: wealth and economic power)
• Crisis of traditional morality

Restoration of Books - Poetry

• Italian influence
• Metric renewal: Hendecasyllables and seven syllables; lira, triplets, octavas reales, estancias or silvas
• New genres: Song, eclogue, epistle
• New topics: Love, nature, myths

First Half of the 16th Century: Garcilaso de la Vega

• Themes: Love, nature, mythology
• Works: Sonnets, songs, elegies, epistles, and 3 eclogues

Second Half of the 16th Century: Mystical Poetry

Fray Luis de Leon

• Themes: Rustic loneliness, desire for peace, moral and religious issues
• Poems: "Retired Life", "Quiet Night", "Ode to Francisco Salinas"

San Juan de la Cruz

• Themes: Mystical love
• Major works: Spiritual Canticle, Dark Night of the Soul, A Flame of Love Alive

Spiritual Prose

Fray Luis de Leon

The Song of Songs, The Exposition of the Book of Job, The Perfect Wife, The Names of Christ

St. Teresa of Jesus

Book of Life, Book of Foundations, The Way of Perfection, The Interior Castle

Renaissance Prose: Fiction

Pastoral Novel

• Protagonists: Ladies and gentlemen dressed as shepherds
• Theme: Platonic love
• Space: Idealized nature (locus amoenus)
• Works: Jorge de Montemayor: The Diana (1559)

Morisco Novel

• Gentlemen, Moors, and Christians
• Love and war deeds
• Border between Moorish and Christian kingdoms
• History of the Abencerraje and the Beautiful Jarifa (1551)

Byzantine Novel

• Pair of young lovers
• Love and adventure
• Various geographic areas
• Núñez de Reinoso: The Story of the Loves of Clareo and Florisea (1552)

Picaresque Novel

• The swindler: Evolves throughout the play and ends up becoming cynical and opportunistic
• Autobiography of Lázaro de Tormes
• Various real locations: Salamanca, Toledo
• Lazarillo de Tormes (published 1554): Lázaro recounts his life to explain the case to "Vuestra Merced". A poor and miserable child, his mother puts him in the service of a blind man and other masters. With them, he learns and thrives in life. Finally, he achieves an acceptable economic position and marries a maid of the archpriest of the church of San Salvador.

Didactic Prose

• Valdés Brothers
• Cristóbal de Villalón