About Spanish Poetry

Hispanic poetry has its atavistic roots in the European tradition. The Iberian peninsula, now known as Spain, was assumed by the Roman empire in the 3rd century B.C. Named Hispania by the Romans, ancient Spain was dependent upon Rome. Hispanic literature as we know it today is a derivative of Roman literature which was written in Latin. Spanish poetry through the ages depicts the emotional lives and times of the poets who lived and matured with the country itself.

Romanesque

During the middle ages, primitive Spanish lyrics, epic poems, verses, and ballads were sung as lyrical tales depicting trials and tribulations. The 12th century initiated the use of Castilian as a literary language with the first primitive "epic" poem called "El Cantar del Mio Cid" or "The Song of the Cid."

Gothic

In the 13th century, Spanish lyrical narrative poetry emerged along with the Gothic style that influenced all of Europe at that time. The earlier primitive epic poems evolved into a clerical form of verse. Gonzalo de Berceo became the first poet of the Castilian language with "Milagros de Nuestra Señora."

Golden Age

The Golden Age of Spanish literature or "Siglo de Oro" took place in Spain between the 16th and 17th centuries. This period was broadly referred to throughout Europe as the Renaissance or Baroque period. The first important poet of the Golden Age was Garcilaso de la Vega, who lived from 1501 to 1536. He is considered the best poet of the Spanish Golden Age. He broadly influenced other poets like Juan Boscan, who lived from 1490 to 1542. The combined poetic influence of Garcilaso and Boscan replaced traditional Castilian meters and stanza forms with Italian meters and stanza form.

Romanticism

The romantic era of Spanish literature ran from about 1898 to 1926. It is characterized by volatile emotions, utilizing all existing variations of meter. Poetic themes revolved around passionate love, religion, society, and nature. José de Espronceda, who lived from 1808 to 1842, is considered the best Spanish poet of the 20th century and wrote "Canto a Teresa," a torrid confession about lost love. Espronceda's poetry precipitated a change towards romantic and personal lyrics. Espronceda's themes included social injustice and the democratic ideal.

Realism

The sensational nature of romantic poetry gave way to realism by 1950. Ruben Dario, 1857 to 1916, changed romantic Spanish poetry by introducing new themes, words and cultural possibilities. Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (1864-1936) was considered a modern poet who used "naked" and direct language and also affected the change from romantic to more realistic themes. Juan Ramon Jimenez Mantecon (1881-1958) wrote "Magic and Sorrowful Poems" in 1911, which used the concepts of symbolism, solitude and the search for knowledge concerning the mysteries of the human soul, moving poetic expression along a more universal expression of the human condition. By the 1950s and 1960s, poetry became a means of disseminating knowledge rather than just a means of personal expression as it did in the romantic era.

The 21st Century

Turning the page into the 21st century, Spanish poetry breaks with the previous realistic fashion of social literature, giving way to darker, more reclusive themes. These changes were further influenced by new modern media forms such as movies and pop music. Influential Spanish poets are now clustered and collected in poetic anthologies, like "The Consulted Anthology of Spanish Poetry" by Visor, published in 1999.

References

• Si, Spain: Middle Ages
• Spain Then And Now: Spain Golden Age Literature: Overview
• Spanish Arts: JOSE' DE ESPRONCEDA AND THE POETRY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE 19TH CENTURY
• Spanish Arts: PRESENTATION OF HISPANIC LITERATURE
• Spanish Arts: END OF THE CENTURY: MODERNIST POETRY

Resources

• Spanish Arts: THIRD PART OF 20TH CENTURY (1968-1998)