El sonsoneto y la práctica poética cortesana del siglo XVI

In the Spanish courts of the Renaissance we find traditional poetic forms such as coplas, romances, villancicos, etc. alongside the Petrarchan sonnet. We also find compositions that resemble the Italian stanza, albeit with a more social, lighthearted, and courtly spirit that we more commonly associate with the Cancionero Poetry. “Sonsonetos” –as these sonnet-like poems are called– are ludic and ephemeral compositions that seek to initiate aulic conversations and serve as a pastime for a refined court society. Thanks to the prestige of the newly introduced Italian stanza –from which the “sonsoneto” departs– and aided by its playful nature, the “sonsoneto” quickly found a way into the spaces and times of leisure that had previously been filled by motes, coplas, romances, and other traditional forms of entertainment. The study of these short-lived compositions and their reception by the aulic society opens up new ways to explore the assimilation and coexistence of the Italian meters and the Spanish poetic tradition during the Renaissance. Additionally, by focusing on the Valencian court of the Duke of Calabria, we get a privileged insight into how poetry was produced and consumed by the court society of the time.