Spanish Renaissance Prose and Literary Evolution

Renaissance Prose: Types and Evolution

The Historical Prose

Spanish historians influenced the humanist doctrine then in vogue. It is therefore often taken as a model for Latin authors like Caesar, Sallust, or Livy. Special mention must be made of the Indian chroniclers who were to reveal the facts about the newly discovered New World.

Among the most important writers are Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo (1478-1557), author of the General and Natural History of the Indies, Bartolomé de las Casas (1474-1566), and Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492-1581).

The Didactic Prose

The cultivated humanists imitated Latin models. Didactic prose reflected, during the first half of the 16th century, the concerns of the moment regarding Erasmus, the defense of Castilian, and the rules of language.

The brothers Valdés, specifically Juan de Valdés (1509-1542), author of the Dialogue of Mercury and Charon, are two of the great prose writers of the time.

Huarte de San Juan

It is also of great importance to mention Juan Huarte de San Juan (1529-1591), author of the Examination of Men's Wits (Review of Engineers), where he reflects on the choice of profession and made personal observations about the relationship between character and physique, one of the previous findings of contemporary psychology.

Religious Prose

Fray Luis de León

Fray Luis de León (1527-1591) was devoted to poetry. However, that did not stop him from writing a series of works in prose in Castilian. These contain personal reviews on different subjects, all of a religious nature:

• In the Name of Christ: Talks about the different names with which Jesus Christ is called in the scriptures (Pastor, Way, Husband, Prince of Peace).
• In the Exposition of the Book of Job: He translated the Hebrew Old Testament book and accompanied it with his own comments.
• In The Perfect Wife: He describes the virtues that must be shown by the entire Christian wife.

Santa Teresa de Jesús

Although she wrote works in verse, most of the writings of Santa Teresa de Jesús are in prose:

• The Book of Life: In which she tells of her spiritual evolution.
• The Book of Foundations.
• The Path of Perfection.
• The Interior Castle or The Abodes.

Santa Teresa de Jesús writes without any literary effort, only through the need to communicate and to tell her experiences. At times, she even does so reluctantly, obliged by her confessors. Her style is spontaneous, direct, and conversational.

The Prose Fiction

The prose subgenre that prevails over the others is the novel of chivalry, which dates back to the Middle Ages. Also arising are the pastoral novel and the Byzantine novel. The subgenre that achieved greater relevance is the picaresque novel, known for its realistic character.