Spanish Literature of the Renaissance and Baroque: Novel, Poetry and Key Trends

In the Middle Ages, the novel emerged as a new and complex literary genre. Its structure was usually based on a love affair with an unhappy ending. Examples include the Carcel de amor (Prison of Love) by Diego de San Pedro. The chivalric novels presented adventures in the rugged world of knights, and their protagonists were unbelievable, invincible heroes. The novel featured multiple adventures, such as Amadís de Gaula.

The Renaissance

In the Renaissance, the novel took several forms:

• Moorish novel: Stories were set in a Moorish world, and protagonists were often Moors who were viewed with affection by the reader. An example is the Historia del Abencerraje y la hermosa Jarifa.
• Byzantine novel: It offered very complicated adventures and love affairs with a happy ending. The language was elegant and carefully crafted. An example is Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda by Cervantes.
• Pastoral novel: Love affairs took place in an idealized rural setting, with shepherds as protagonists. An example is La Galatea by Cervantes.
• Picaresque novel: The protagonist, the picaro or rogue, was typically the son of parents without honor. He was marginalized and served several masters throughout his life, alternating between luck and misfortune. The plot developed through his adventures. An example is La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes.

Lyric Poetry

Lyric poetry impressed Baroque poets and dazzled readers. Their compositions were both sophisticated in content and form, requiring the reader to have mental agility and culture.

Metrics: Poets used the endecasílabo (hendecasyllabic line). The metric models maintained from the Renaissance, but many broke with the classical dogma, adapting each theme to a specific metrical form. The most important novelty was the use of liras, whose verses were often octosyllabic, and the villancico verse.

Trends

• Conceptismo: Its key feature was the concentration of meaning through syllepsis or dilogía (wordplay), metaphors, word games and epithets. Authors such as Francisco de Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián tended toward this trend.
• Cultismo: Its preference for cultismos (learned words) and unusual word order aimed to impress the reader and to create a stylistic effect. The use of metaphor and Latinisms characterized it. Luis de Góngora is considered the maximum representative of this trend.

Themes

• Love: Renaissance poets often expressed love through antithesis.
• Mythology: The mythological world played a large role.
• Nature: Descriptions of nature often highlighted beautiful landscapes. Nature was also frequently presented through contrasts, and chiaroscuro was very important.
• Satire and mockery: Writers mocked all issues through playful compositions, reflecting their sense of disillusionment.
• The transience of life: This was a central theme of the Baroque, where the reminder of death played a key role, as it did in the Middle Ages.