Court, language, and empire in the age of Charles V

During the rule of Charles V, Spanish literature achieves an international dimension through the work of Archbishop Fray Antonio de Guevara (1474–1546). His attempt to connect with a new reading public outside restricted humanistic groups accounts for Guevara’s immense popularity in Spain and Europe, and makes him into a writer who paved the way for the modern essay and the novel. Guevara’s chosen topics are usually entrenched in Renaissance culture, but their didacticism becomes subverted by a lighthearted demeanor, the use of apocryphal sources, or the overwhelming presence of rhetorical devices. Menosprecio de corte y alabanza de aldea (“Contempt for Life at Court and a Praise for Life in the Country,” 1539) exemplifies his ability to play with a constellation of motives mainly stemming from the medieval controversies about courtly life. Here the author’s argumentation annuls the traditional dichotomy announced in the title; his apparent diatribe against the court in favor of country life finally contains a somewhat resigned admission that, with all its evils, only the court grants a certain degree of individual autonomy.

Other authors depart from Guevara’s rhetorical self-consciousness. Juan de Valdés (1510–1541) wrote in Italy the Diálogo de la lengua (“Dialogue About Language”), which confirms the rise of the vernacular Castilian language as a vehicle of culture. By defending the autonomy of his native language, Valdés aligns himself with Pietro Bembo (1470–1547) or Baldassare Castiglione (1474–1529), who in different ways reveal a similar concern for the Italian language. In Spain, the Gramática de la lengua castellana (“Grammar of Castilian Language,” 1492), written by Antonio de Nebrija (1444?–1522) constitutes a key reference, but, unlike Nebrija, Valdés follows a non-prescriptive approach.