Spanish Medieval Literature: Mester de Clerecía and Epic
Mester de Clerecía: 13th and 14th Centuries
Features of the Mester de Clerecía:
- Oficio of Clergy: Religious profession, worship, and intellectual men.
- Finalidad: Didactic, recreational, and regular artistic purpose.
- Metrics: Tetrástrofo monorrimo or cuaderna vía (notebook via).
- Themes: Religious, epic, romantic, and profane.
- Literary Language: More carefully crafted than minstrelsy, yet simple and natural.
- Transmission: Written transmission; the scholarly literature itself.
- Narrative Genres: Miracles of the Virgin, hagiography, and anonymous epic-romantic poems.
- Representative Authors: The most notable authors are Berceo and Hita.
Gonzalo de Berceo
His writing is narrative and enlivened by colloquial expressions, minstrel-like style, expressive realism, and vivid dialogues and descriptions. The verse used is the tetrástrofo monorrimo. The subject matter is primarily religious, emphasizing the Miracles of Our Lady.
The Archpriest of Hita
The few facts known about him are deduced solely from his literature. In the Book of Good Love, he appears as a highly educated figure with a vital character, mocking yet tolerant of human frailties.
The Book of Good Love
This is an extensive and varied work of almost 2,000 verses that make up a treatise on the nature of love. Written in the first person, it recounts his failed love life with 15 different women.
Metrics, Language, and Style
This long polymetric poem predominantly uses the cuaderna vía frame but includes songs influenced by zéjels, cantigas, and minstrel traditions. It presents a natural literary style—vivid and expressive—with touches of humor, irony, and a colloquial trend.
Don Juan Manuel
Style: Very original and simple, sober, clear, and concise, consistent with his didactic intent. He seeks syntactic simplicity and logical order while using stylistic resources. The result is a smooth and entertaining narrative.
Work: Count Lucanor.
The Poema del Cid
The Poema del Cid is the most important manuscript for being the most artistic, the oldest, and the best preserved; it consists of only three pages. The manuscript dates from the early 13th century.
Structure and Content
The Castilian hero recounts the exploits of Don Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar to regain lost honor caused by treachery. This is told through three songs:
- The Song of Exile
- The Song of the Weddings
- The Song of the Reproach of Corpes
Metrics and Style
El Cid is a long narrative poem written in long rolls with assonant, anisosyllabic lines separated by a caesura. The 16-syllable line dominates the work.
It is a romance written in Castilian, which displays great maturity and literary linguistics. The main theme of the poem is the recovery of lost honor.