Spanish Golden Age Literary Genres and Masterpieces

Characteristics of the Picaresque Novel

• The protagonist is a rogue of very low social rank or estate, often offspring of parents without honor.
• Autobiographical narration.
• The protagonist is an anti-hero, destined to fail and remain a rogue.
• Moralizing and pessimistic ideology.
• Itinerant structure with satirical intent.
• Strong realism, even naturalism.
• Narration in the first person.
• The rogue class does not rise in social standing.

Lazarillo de Tormes: An Anonymous Picaresque Novel

Plot Summary

Lázaro, as a child, begins to serve his first master. Throughout the novel, he serves many masters, gaining unique life lessons from each.

Themes and Structure

The novel is composed of a prologue and seven "treatises" (chapters). The book is autobiographical and, although it presents a succession of episodes, the work maintains a strong structural unity.

Themes and Social Criticism

• The protagonist's life unfolds through various episodes, often focusing on deception.
• A constant motif in the work is religious narration. The novel subtly criticizes the clergy and false religiosity, reflecting an Erasmian attitude towards honor.
• The theme of honor is consistently reflected throughout the novel.

Style and Language

This novel features uncertain realism, vivid language, and the use of popular, colloquial expressions. This contributes to the novel's narrative plausibility. Irony also abounds, which the author uses to convey Lázaro's critical perspective and attitudes towards various characters and situations.

Notable Works and Genres of Spanish Literature

Galatea: A Pastoral Novel

A pastoral novel genre that had gained great prestige and enjoyed reader favor since the publication of Montemayor's Diana.

Novelas Ejemplares (Exemplary Novels)

A collection of twelve short stories by Cervantes, exploring themes such as infidelity, jealousy, love, the acuity of madness, critiques of characters and social mores, and elements of the picaresque.

Los Trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (The Labors of Persiles and Sigismunda)

Modeled after the Byzantine romance, this work features themes of fantasy, love, adventure, and danger.

Mester de Clerecía (Clergy's Craft)

From the 13th century, a new stream of educated and written poetry developed, known as Mester de Clerecía, meaning 'clergy's craft' or 'profession of the clergy'.

Clerecía vs. Juglaría (Minstrelsy)

• Consciousness and Cultured Aesthetic: Mester de Clerecía compositions follow strict rules and aesthetic standards, unlike the more spontaneous juglaría.
• Religious Inspiration: Religious subjects serve as the primary inspiration and influence for Mester de Clerecía.
• Cultured Writers: Authors were typically educated clergy, contrasting with the often less formally trained minstrels.
• Regular Verse Form: Mester de Clerecía primarily uses the cuaderna vía (a monorhyme quatrain with alexandrine verses), ensuring a regular number of syllables, unlike the irregular verses of minstrel poetry.
• Purpose: These works were primarily made to be recited or read, rather than sung for public entertainment.