San Juan de la Cruz and the Picaresque Novel

San Juan de la Cruz

Alongside Santa Teresa, he stands as the leading figure in the religious literature of the second half of the 16th century.

Topics

His poems feature profound religious inspiration. He seeks to communicate his mystical experience, which is presented as ineffable, yet capable of being transmitted through words.

Style

He utilizes the image of the union between a man and a woman through marriage to symbolize the mystical union between the soul and God. His poetic compositions present a wealth of comparisons and metaphors, filled with simplicity, beauty, and tenderness.

Works

His work is composed of traditional poems and three mystical poems written during his imprisonment:

• Dark Night of the Soul: A poem composed of liras in which a girl leaves her house in the middle of the night, guided by love toward the union with the beloved to whom she surrenders.
• Spiritual Canticle: Also written in liras, featuring a dialogue between a shepherdess and a shepherd who seeks to meet her.
• Living Flame of Love: Composed in liras, it uses the image of fire to represent the love with which the Holy Spirit lights the soul when performing a union with God.

The Picaresque Novel

The picaresque novel is understood as a reaction to the idealized characters of pastoral and chivalric novels; the main character is portrayed as very real. The picaresque antihero has been considered a social document that reflects the life of the era.

Characteristics

• Protagonist: A rogue (pícaro), a person from the lower class whose honor is lacking due to marginalized parents. Their only goal is to ascend in social class, for which they resort to cunning, fraud, and embezzlement.
• Autobiographical Form: The rogue narrates their adventures in the first person.
• Open Structure: The novel is composed of loose scenes whose only bond of union is the rogue.
• Determinism: The parents belong to low social strata; these origins require the protagonist to lead a determined kind of life.
• Technique of the Rowed: Involves the insertion of beads or elements of traditional and popular types that adorn the tale.
• Final Justification: The full story is headed toward justifying the situation of dishonor in which the protagonist finds themselves.
• Satirical: Shows a steely criticism of society as represented in all its layers.
• Realism: Describes reality exactly as it is.