The Spanish Renaissance in literature

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During the centuries XV and XVI There was a cultural and artistic peak throughout Europe that was detrimental to the artistic forms of the Middle Ages. We are talking about the Renaissance, a movement that influenced all fields of society and art and promoted a anthropocentric view of the world. In Spain, authors such as Garcilaso de la Vega or Fray Luis de León assimilated this new aesthetic that was inspired by the human being and turned their gaze to the classics. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to offer you a complete summary of the Spanish Renaissance in literature so that you better understand this period of culture in our country.

Index

1. Introduction to the literary Renaissance
2. Approach to the Renaissance in Spain
3. 8 characteristics of the Spanish literary Renaissance
4. The literary genres of the Spanish Renaissance
5. Most Outstanding Spanish Renaissance Authors

In order to better understand the Spanish Renaissance in literature it is important that we talk briefly about the current of the Renaissance in a general way. In this way, we will be able to understand the cultural context in which we find ourselves and better understand how it influenced Spanish letters.

The first thing to keep in mind is that with the word Renaissance we are referring to a movement that took place on the cultural and artistic level. Therefore, not only did literature experience a surprising change and heyday, but also other arts such as music or painting joined this new aesthetic.

The Renaissance appeared in Western Europe in the period in which we passed from the Middle Ages to the Modern, that is, in the 15th and 16th century. It was a movement in which science began to win the battle against faith and religion with an abundant presence of the scientific innovations and with a great interest in man and the issues that affected both individual and human development. collective.

The place where this artistic, cultural and social renewal began was in Italy, specifically, in Florence. And, from this focus, it spread throughout Europe, also reaching Spain.

Humanism, the basis of the Renaissance

It is important to understand that the Renaissance cannot be understood without humanism, that is, the innovative conception of man and of the world that began to be cultivated at that time. However, this forward-thinking and forward-thinking vision went hand in hand with the vindication of the classics. This is the reason why the culture of Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as mythology and classical poets, were once again very present in the cultural and social panorama of the moment.

Thanks to humanism, during this period medieval theocentrism is banished, that is, the focus of attention centered on God to give way to anthropocentrism, that is, in which the maximum focus of interest is the man and his affairs. For this reason, the arts, sciences, politics and philosophy lived a new apogee, leaving aside the interest in religious matters.

Therefore, we are in a period in which humanism is the main engine of society. The human issues, which directly affect man and human being, are the ones that will begin to attract the attention of the thinkers, politicians and artists of the time.

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We have already indicated that the origin of the Renaissance is in Florence, however, its influence spread over many territories of the European continent, reaching, of course, Spain. Here, the Renaissance mark marked a great time since it coincides with the 16th century, that is, the Spanish Golden Age, the century in which this country experienced a brilliant heyday in both literature and politics.

Thanks to the Renaissance, in Spain we were able to enjoy works by such renowned authors as Garcilaso de la Vega, Fray Luis de León or San Juan de la Cruz. Miguel de Cervantes was also a writer of that time although, in his case, we cannot speak of a 100% Renaissance literature since he was a true revolutionary in his field. Neither more nor less, Cervantes is credited with being the creator of the modern novel, therefore, he clearly stood out from his contemporaries.

In any case, the authors who followed the footprint of the European Renaissance were based on the aesthetics promoted by the classic poets such as Dante, Bocaccio or Petrarca. For this reason, we find a careful, lyrical production with a great mythological influence that talks about the future of the human being in an allegorical and fanciful way.

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But let's get right into the matter at hand and let's talk specifically about the Spanish Renaissance in literature. To do this, we are going to analyze the main features that this cultural current contributed to the letters and that they will help us to more easily detect the authors who drank from this Italian influence.

1. Influence of the classics: one of the most obvious elements that we are faced with a Renaissance work is that, in it, there are many references to authors who were typical of Antiquity. For example, Ovid, Plato, Cicero, Seneca, Dante, Bocaccio, and so on.
2. Ideal beauty: in these texts we also find that we are shown an idealized beauty that is very close to perfection. It is a time when a great cult of beauty is paid and bucolic and idyllic spaces are recreated to be able to enjoy it.
3. Idealized women: the search for the ideal beauty led to the introduction of idealized women and that, all of them, they fulfilled a series of attributes such as, for example, having blonde hair, fair complexion, transmitting purity, etc.
4. Prevalence of simplicity: Renaissance authors offer simple, bucolic and beautiful texts and poems. They will not dedicate themselves to presenting stories that are too strong or with intense emotions, but rather they prefer simple scenes in which there is a general placidity.
5. Inside world: the authors of the Spanish literary Renaissance are influenced by humanism and the anthropocentric vision of the world. Therefore, in their texts they will take the opportunity to investigate the interior of the human being and, thus, better understand the nature of people, their emotions, their drives, etc.
6. The importance of mysticism: Another characteristic element of the time was mysticism. By concisely investigating the interior of the human being, mystical conclusions were reached about emotions, energies...
7. Vernacular languages: We must not forget that in the transition from XV to XVI is when we find ourselves at the height of the Romanic languajes to the detriment of Latin. All of this can be seen in the Renaissance authors who begin to use these languages ​​in the literary plane, thus giving them the prestigious position that they did not have until now.
8. Topics: During this period, the topics that were dealt with in the literature changed completely. They went from being religious themes to offering writings that spoke of love, nature and classical mythology as a reference for human behavior.

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We must also point out that the Spanish Renaissance in literature brought new literary genres different from those that were cultivated until then. Here we offer you a complete list with the new ways of making literature that appeared thanks to this cultural revolution.

The poetry of the Renaissance

The lyric that was cultivated during the Renaissance is a type of composition in which cultivating the forms of the Middle Ages but with Italian influences that we can see in authors such as Garcilaso de la Vega. This type of poetry is characterized by:

• Romance languages: the natural language is used and that was spoken in the villages
• New topics: new lyrical themes appear that paid attention to platonic love, beauty, mythology, nature, etc.
• Some were adopted classic slogans such as "Carpe Diem", "Tempus Fugit" or "Locus amoenus" to create poetic compositions

The most prominent authors of the lyrical genre of the Spanish Renaissance were Juan Boscán and Garcilaso de la Vega.

Religious literature

We have already indicated that mysticism has a great presence in the literary Spanish Renaissance. The reason is that, during this period, there is believed to be a separation between what is natural and what is supernatural. For this reason, a new type of literature appears that expresses the religious experiences that some people had and that they came into contact with God.

San Juan de la Cruz is the best known Spanish author who opted for this type of literary genre during the time.

Prose in the literary Renaissance of Spain

Prose was also another genre that was cultivated during this period. And, in general, experts usually divide it into 2 trends:

• Shepherd novel: It is a type of bucolic storytelling in which we are presented with an ideal world full of beauty. Here topics such as love are usually dealt with and the beloved woman is presented in an idealized way. Nature has a very important presence in these texts that recreate a world that almost borders on perfection.
• Educational or religious works: especially from the middle of the 16th century on, literary interest in religious themes was recovered, motivated by the spirit of the Counter-Reformation led by King Felipe II. San Juan de la Cruz is one of the most prolific authors of this subgenre.

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And we end this summary on the Spanish Renaissance in literature to mention 3 of the most prominent authors of this literary trend in our country. They are as follows:

Garcilaso de la Vega (1501 - 1536)

He was a very prominent personality within the aristocracy of the time. He took part in military battles participating in great battles. He lived in Bologna for a year and, from this experience, he soaked up the Renaissance innovations originating in Florence. He wrote some 40 sonnets and, in his style, a great influence of classical authors such as Petrarca can be appreciated.

Saint John of the Cross (1542 - 1591)

He is the highest representative of religious poetry of the time. Thanks to his studies at the University of Salamanca, this writer was able to meet Saint Teresa of Jesus and, from then on, was ordained in the Carmelites. Many critics consider that this author was the most important in Spanish mysticism, as well as in lyrical creation. With a refined and exquisite style, he published works such as "Dark Night" or "Spiritual Canticle".

Fray Luis de León (1527 - 1591)

He is another of the most prominent authors of the Spanish literary Renaissance. He is considered another of the most important poets of this period in Spain and cultivated ascetic literature. His writings show that he was focused on his soul leaving the earthly plane to connect with God and reach the supernatural. Moral themes are the most abundant in his literary production.

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