Spanish Morphology and Literary Analysis: Romances and La Celestina
Word Formation in Spanish
Words are categorized by their structure:
- Simple words: Formed by a single lexeme or a lexeme accompanied by inflections.
- Derivative words: Comprised of a lexeme accompanied by one or more derivational morphemes.
- Compound words: Formed by two simple words, two separate morphemes, or a morpheme and an independent lexeme.
- Parasynthetic words: Formed when a word undergoes simultaneous prefixation and suffixation.
The Romance: Poetic Composition
The Romance is a poetic composition consisting of a series of octosyllabic verses. There are two distinct periods:
- Old Ballads (Romancero Viejo): Hundreds of anonymous poems.
- New Ballads (Romancero Nuevo): Romances composed after the Middle Ages.
Types of Romances
- Epic: Fragments of cantares de gesta intended to entertain and commemorate heroic deeds.
- Historic: Informing about events of the time.
- Border: Late 15th-century compositions.
- Novelistic/Lyrical: Focused on poetic quality and themes of love.
- Carolingian: Issues related to Charlemagne.
Features of Romances
They are characterized by:
- Simplicity
- The use of dialogue
- A shortage of adjectives
- Parallelism and repetition
- Truncated endings
La Celestina: Tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea
Originally titled Comedia de Calisto y Melibea, the work evolved over time. In 1502, a new version titled Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea was released, expanding to 21 acts. The final version was completed in 1526.
Author and Context
Fernando de Rojas (born c. 1473 in Toledo) is the primary author, though the work is attributed to two authors: the "old author" and Rojas himself. The work is a humanistic comedy intended to be read aloud by educated groups.
Arguments and Themes
The plot revolves around the love between Calisto and Melibea. Key themes include love, death, greed, and chance.
Structure and Language
The work consists of twenty-one acts and several preambles. The language varies by social stratum:
- Calisto and Melibea: Use a cultured level of language with complex rhetoric.
- Celestina: Uses popular language, rich in proverbs and sayings.
- Servants (Pármeno and Sempronio): Use common language, often mocking the speech of the upper class.