Hoose and Analyse Any Three Sonnets Which Exemplify the Contrasting Poetic Styles and Attitudes to the Conventions of Courtly Love Poetry.
Name: Gavin Radford
JF 2012.
Course: SP1005- Introduction to Spanish and Spanish American Literature.
Date: 12/12/12
Question:
hoose and analyse any three sonnets which exemplify the contrasting poetic styles and attitudes to the conventions of courtly love poetry.
C
I would like to begin this essay by firstly defining the concept of “courtly love” which is
central to the question.
“a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love between a knight and a married
noblewoman, first developed by the troubadours of southern France and extensively
employed in European literature of the time. The love of the knight for his lady was regarded
as an ennobling passion and the relationship was typically unconsummated.”
(http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/courtly%2Blove)
In early courtly love poetry, it is evident that the poem was purely a linguistic and academic
exercise which is hard for us as modern readers to relate to. As the centuries progressed, so
did the expression and personal and emotional input into the poetry. The courtly love
poetry therefore went from being a concept difficult to relate to in the 15th century, to an
emotionally charged exercise of expression of genuine love in the 17th Century. This is more
likened to the poetry we are familiar with and that we can easily relate to.
I intend to assess the progression of courtly love poetry through a poem from the 15th, 16th
and 17th centuries.
They are as follows:
15th Century: ‘Esperas diciendo qué cosa es amor’, Jorge Manrique .
16th Century: Sonnet XVII (Pensando que el camino iba dereche...), Garcilaso de la Vega.
17th Century: ‘Mientras por competir con tu cabello’, Luis de Góngora.
In Manrique’s ‘Esparsas diciendo qué cosa es amor” , we see characteristics of early courtly
love poetry along with the different stylistic features of the era in each verse. For example, i
in the first and
JF 2012.
Course: SP1005- Introduction to Spanish and Spanish American Literature.
Date: 12/12/12
Question:
hoose and analyse any three sonnets which exemplify the contrasting poetic styles and attitudes to the conventions of courtly love poetry.
C
I would like to begin this essay by firstly defining the concept of “courtly love” which is
central to the question.
“a highly conventionalized medieval tradition of love between a knight and a married
noblewoman, first developed by the troubadours of southern France and extensively
employed in European literature of the time. The love of the knight for his lady was regarded
as an ennobling passion and the relationship was typically unconsummated.”
(http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/courtly%2Blove)
In early courtly love poetry, it is evident that the poem was purely a linguistic and academic
exercise which is hard for us as modern readers to relate to. As the centuries progressed, so
did the expression and personal and emotional input into the poetry. The courtly love
poetry therefore went from being a concept difficult to relate to in the 15th century, to an
emotionally charged exercise of expression of genuine love in the 17th Century. This is more
likened to the poetry we are familiar with and that we can easily relate to.
I intend to assess the progression of courtly love poetry through a poem from the 15th, 16th
and 17th centuries.
They are as follows:
15th Century: ‘Esperas diciendo qué cosa es amor’, Jorge Manrique .
16th Century: Sonnet XVII (Pensando que el camino iba dereche...), Garcilaso de la Vega.
17th Century: ‘Mientras por competir con tu cabello’, Luis de Góngora.
In Manrique’s ‘Esparsas diciendo qué cosa es amor” , we see characteristics of early courtly
love poetry along with the different stylistic features of the era in each verse. For example, i
in the first and
Bibliography: Alberti, Rafael, Poetry Booklet, (Department of Hispanic Studies, TCD). Gicovate, Bernard, Garcilaso de la Vega, (Twayne publishers, 1975). Grossman, Edith, The Golden Age: poems of the Spanish Renaissance, (W.W. Norton & co., 2006). Segel, Harry B., The Baroque poem,- a comparastive survey, (Dutton, 1974). Terry, Arthur , An anthology of Spanish Poetry 1500-1580, part 1, (Pergamon press, 1968). Definition of courtly love- Oxford dictionary, (http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/courtly%2Blove) [accessed 11/12/12]. Theme of time and beauty-(www.spainthenandnow.com/spanish-literature/gongora-mientras-por-competir…/default_151.aspx). [accessed 6/12/12]