Novel MORISCA: characteristics and examples

In the 16th century in Spain A literary subgenre that is unique to this country was cultivated: the Moorish novel. It is a type of narrative prose that has an idealistic tone and that, as its name suggests, is usually carried out by Muslim people creating an idealized relationship between Muslims and Christians. With these literary texts it was intended to offer an example of coexistence between both cultures to create spaces for peace and dialogue. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover characteristics of Moorish novels and examples of works that are inscribed within this narrative subgenre. Read on and discover what these typically Spanish texts that were cultivated during the Golden Age are like.

Before starting to mention the characteristics of the Moorish novel, it is important to discover the definition of this Spanish subgenre to better understand what type of literary text we we find. The Moorish novel consists of a work that is starring muslims and that offers us an idealized vision of the relationship between these and the Christians of Spain. Let's not forget that

Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711 and they remained until 1492, the year of the fall of Granada, therefore, in the 16th century there was still a great connection with the Muslim people and a somewhat tense relationship.

This type of novel was intended to generate an environment of peace between both peoples inspired by humanism of the Renaissance and by Neoplatonic love. It changes the real problems of Spain at the time for an idealized vision in which both peoples could coexist and respect each other without any type of problem. The Moorish novel was very successful, above all, among people who converted to Islam and who resided in Spain.

When this type of novel begins to be cultivated in Spain, we find that in the territory Moors who follow the Muslim religion continue to live. But Carlos V was the monarch who forced the Moors to convert to Catholicism and, therefore, coexistence was cut short. The Moorish novel ignores this reality and poses an idealized reality in which there is no problem between the two peoples.

Origin of the Moorish novel

The trace of the Moorish subgenre can be seen in great authors such as Lope de Vega or Góngora. These writers were carried away by the "maurophilia", that is to say, the positive sentiment towards Muslims, especially in the Andalusian regions where they had settled Al Andalus during the Muslim invasion. East positive feeling towards the Muslim it was generalized in much of Spain and, therefore, this type of novel arose that wanted to bet on a multicultural and peaceful coexistence.

However, it is important to note that what we see in these novels was totally influenced by Renaissance idealism and that the two peoples did not have such a peaceful and harmonica. "El Abencejarre "is the best known example of a Moorish novel that we have and it is a work that aims to improve socio-political relations between Christians and Muslims.

To better understand the nature of this narrative subgenre, below we are going to stop at the characteristics of the Moorish novel that are more recurrent and used by authors faithful to this style. The main characteristics are the following:

• Idealization of reality: We have already commented on this in the previous section but we once again emphasize the fact that what the authors present to us in the Moorish novels are not the real events. There is an idealization of the truth that is influenced by the humanism of the time and that shows us a generous and cordial relationship between Muslims and Christians.
• Muslim protagonists: it is one of the main characteristics of the Moorish novel. Although Christian characters appear in the work, the truth is that the protagonists are always Muslims, therefore, the vision we always receive is that of the defeated.
• Love as the main engine: the loving feeling is what makes the relationship between the two peoples positive and peaceful. The love that is presented in the Moorish novel is an idealized love capable of overcoming any problem that comes our way in life.
• Short novels: in general, Moorish novels tend to be characterized by having a more condensed plot and, therefore, their length is shorter than other novels. This can be applied in all cases except "Civil Wars of Granada".
• Classic style: Another of the characteristics of the Moorish novel is that it presents a classical style since we are in the middle of the Literary renaissance. The words that are used are sonorous and rhetorical devices are used that take us to antiquity.
• Arabic language: for the Moorish novel to be better set, many authors include words or phrases in the Arabic language that will help us to better context the plot and to situate ourselves in the environment and the exoticism that we are loved tell.
• Descriptions abound: precisely to fulfill this will of setting, the authors stop a lot in the descriptions that help us to get an idea of ​​the place and characters that we are getting to know. Clothes, customs, spaces are described in great detail so that you can travel to this world.
• Will of coexistence: Many critics point out that the Moorish novel pursued a clear objective that was none other than to improve relations between Muslims and Christians. They were conciliatory works that referred us to a reality in which the two peoples could coexist in a peaceful and respectful way.
• Historical basis: Although we have already said that these texts show an idealized reality, the truth is that there are elements that are part of the reality of Spain. This is the case, for example, of some characters or spaces, such as the kingdom of Granada.

We conclude this literary review to talk, now, about the authors and examples of Moorish novels that will help you to know the most outstanding titles. You should know that we do not have many works that are framed in this narrative subgenre and, therefore, we can only talk about these:

El Abencerraje, the quintessential Moorish novel

One of the most prominent examples of a Moorish novel is the History of the Abencerraje and the beautiful Jarifa, an anonymous novel that It was the first one to be published in this subgenre. This text was the one that influenced other authors such as Cervantes or Lope de Vega to decide on write a Moorish novel and, thus, one can speak of a subgenre of its own and with characteristics concrete. In this work we learn about the love story between a Muslim who is imprisoned by a Christian and Jarifa, his beloved whom he wanted to marry. A very interesting point in history is Los Abencerrajes were really a Spanish family that existed at the time.

Granada Civil Wars

Written by Ginés Pérez de Hita, This work is divided into two parts: the first that was published in 1595 and the second in 1619. It is a plot that recounts the wars that took place in Granada from the point of view of a Muslim. The tone of the work is sympathetic and friendly towards Muslims and it is a very extensive text that is also framed within the Moorish novel.

Ozmín and Daraja

Inside of picaresque novel Guzman de Alfarache (1599) by Mateo Alemán we find this subplot that tells us the story of Daraja, the daughter of a Muslim who is kidnapped by some Christians.

The story of the captive

And we end with the Moorish novel examples to talk about this text that is included in the first part of Don Quixote by Cervantes. Here, a character we know as "the captive" will tell us a story of a man who is dedicated to arms and who ends up being captured by the King of Algiers.

Although in the sixteenth century there are not many more examples of this type of novel, the truth is that we find its mark again in the writers of Romanticismin the 19th century, above all, in works by Martínez de la Rosa, José Zorrilla or international authors such as Washington Irving.