Spanish Literature: Key Works and Authors of the Middle Ages (13th-15th Centuries)

Spanish Literature: Medieval Period and Transition (13th-15th Centuries)

The Mester de Clerecía

The Mester de Clerecía refers to all works composed by clerics during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It emerged in monasteries, intended to teach people religious customs and serve as a form of propaganda.

Key Features of the Mester de Clerecía

• Content: Texts of religious and ethical content.
• Purpose: Composed by clerics with a didactic goal: to teach Christian role models.
• Metric: The cuaderna vía was used (four monorhyme Alexandrine verses of 14 syllables).
• Transmission: It was primarily oral, as most people were illiterate, disseminated through public reading or recitation.

Notable authors include Gonzalo de Berceo (thirteenth century) and Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita (fourteenth century).

Gonzalo de Berceo

The first Castilian poet whose name is known.

His work, Milagros de Nuestra Señora (Miracles of Our Lady), is a collection of 25 stories that show how the Virgin Mary protects and forgives her devotees.

Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita: The Book of Good Love

Written by Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita (fourteenth century).

It is a complex work, both in structure and interpretation, reflecting on the evils of earthly love versus the goodness of divine love (the "good love").

Content of The Book of Good Love

• Stories of love, a structural plan, prayers and songs of praise, an epic episode, serranillas (mountain songs), and examples.

Castilian Prose

Castilian prose emerged at a time when there was already a clear national consciousness and a need to disseminate knowledge.

Alfonso X El Sabio (Alfonso X the Wise)

To regulate the coexistence of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in Castile, Alfonso X decreed that Castilian be the language of administration and legal documents (supported by the School of Translators of Toledo).

His works included legal, scientific, recreational, and historical texts.

Don Juan Manuel

El Conde Lucanor (or The Count) is a collection of fifty-one stories intended to teach nobles how to behave in the administration of their lands.

Structure of El Conde Lucanor

1. The Problem (posed by the Count).
2. Narrating the Story (by Patronio).
3. Advice and Moral Conclusion.

The 15th Century: A New Mindset

This change was influenced by epidemics, which altered behavior and the conception of death. These changes marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age.

La Celestina

This work emerged during the full transition to a new society, written by Fernando de Rojas in the late 15th century. It is a love story that takes place in a city.

Schematic Diagram of the Argument

1. Infatuation of Calisto.
2. Use of the go-between (Celestina).
3. Enchantment of Melibea.
4. Tragic consequences.

Society Reflected in La Celestina

The work reflects the urban society of the era and the mindset changes occurring in the 15th century. Characters are driven by different social conditions, passion, and greed.

La Celestina presents a society in crisis: every social group behaves according to its own interests and disregards traditional values.