As esparsas no cancioneiro geral de garcia de resende: forma e conteúdo

Abstract

The esparsas are one of the poetic forms developed by the Portuguese courtly poets present in the Cancioneiro Geral, edited by Garcia de Resende in 1516. The esparsa is a poem with only one strophe, and is fit for improvisation and for the development of maxims, exempla, dictum, which were highly esteemed by the man of Middle Ages. Fix in its form, the esparsas provided many possibilities in gender and content, allying tradition and innovation. In Resende’s songbook four species of thematic contents can be found.