17th Century Spanish Baroque Literature: Society, Culture & Arts
17th Century Spanish Baroque Literature
1. Society and Culture of the 17th Century
During the reigns of Philip III and Philip IV, the Spanish Empire began to decline due to military failures and the economic consequences of armed conflicts, such as the struggle against the Protestants.
Economically, there was financial impoverishment and a decline in industry, banking, and trade. Agriculture also entered a crisis period, worsening the living conditions of peasants.
Socially, tensions between the bourgeoisie and the nobility were prominent. The nobility allied with the church to suppress the bourgeoisie and maintain the values of the Old Regime.
A worldview marked by pessimism and disappointment prevailed. Society experienced strong contrasts: living and roguish gallantry, misery and luxury, waste and economic hardship, the pursuit of worldly pleasures and religious exaltation, corruption of political office and exaggerated patriotism.
By the last quarter of the century, Charles II, son of Philip IV, became king. During his reign, the crisis reached its peak, with massive currency devaluations, declining economic activity, and armed conflict with France. Charles II died childless, marking the end of the Habsburg dynasty.
2. 17th Century Literature
Spanish language and culture maintained the prestige they had gained throughout Europe during the Renaissance.
- Writers continued to use the same metric structures in poetry and narrative patterns established in the Renaissance. They sought sonority, ingenuity, and originality through an abundance of ornaments.
- Themes of love, nature, and classical mythology remained dominant. However, the perspective shifted towards pessimism and disappointment, with some writers adopting a satirical tone and employing harsh irony.
This new literature is part of the Baroque period. Two main trends can be distinguished:
- Conceptismo: Represented by Francisco de Quevedo, this style is characterized by puns, double meanings, and the exploration of language resources such as simile and hyperbole to achieve originality.
- Culteranismo: Led by Luis de Góngora, this trend also sought originality but focused on the sound and brilliance of language through elaborate and surprising metaphors and hyperbole. Culteranismo also employed complex syntactic structures and Latinisms.
3. Baroque Lyric Poetry
The sonnet, reflecting pessimism and disappointment, was widely used. Romances and letrillas were also frequent.
There was a coexistence of cultivated compositions, characterized by elaborate language and themes, with popular poetry.
Quevedo and Conceptismo
Quevedo’s poetry is characterized by a taste for puns based on double meanings, frequent use of antithesis, and hyperbole.
His work can be classified as follows:
Serious Poetry:
- Philosophical, religious, and moral themes: Quevedo reflects on the meaning of human existence, the transience of life, power, and wealth. He criticizes ambition and advocates for following the Christian model.
- Courtly poetry: Quevedo depicts court life, creates celebratory descriptions, or commemorates death.
Love Poetry:
- Characterized by the intense expression of love.
Satirical and Burlesque Poetry:
- Quevedo uses hyperbole to display his wit and talent for wordplay. He satirizes greed and materialism with a critical intent.
Góngora and Culteranismo
Góngora’s poetry is characterized by a cultist style, complex language, and the pursuit of beauty through elaborate metaphors.
His poetry has two stages:
- Popular poetry: Uses the romance form.
- Cultivated poetry: Creates complex compositions with intricate metaphors and hyperbole.
In his work Solitudes, Góngora tells the story of a castaway disillusioned by love for a cruel court lady.
The Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea narrates the Cyclops Polyphemus’s unrequited love for the nymph Galatea.
4. Baroque Narrative
Miguel de Cervantes is the leading figure of the Spanish novel.
Development of the Picaresque Novel
The Buscón by Quevedo is an autobiographical picaresque novel.
Cervantes and Don Quixote
Cervantes’s work encompasses various genres, including the pastoral and Byzantine novels, but his masterpiece is Don Quixote de la Mancha.
This work belongs to the chivalric romance genre but is a parody with humorous and critical intent. It has two parts: the first published in 1605 and the second in 1615.
In the first part, the protagonist, Alonso Quijano, renames himself Don Quixote de la Mancha and embarks on a quest to become a knight-errant. His madness is short-lived, and he returns home injured. In his second outing, he enlists Sancho Panza as his squire. This part includes the iconic episode of the windmills, which Don Quixote mistakes for giants.
In the second part, Cervantes blends reality and fiction. During Don Quixote’s third outing, he experiences adventures at the Duke’s palace, and Sancho governs the island of Barataria.
5. Baroque Theatre
The Baroque period was a golden age for Spanish theatre. Plays provided an outlet for people during the crisis and reflected the customs and values of the 17th century.
Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca were prominent playwrights.
Lope de Vega and the Creation of Baroque Theatre
Lope de Vega was renowned for his comedies. He revolutionized Spanish drama with the following characteristics:
- Plays were divided into 3 acts.
- They were written in verse, using sonnets for love scenes and romances for descriptions or narratives.
- Characters from different social classes were incorporated, leading to the use of diverse linguistic styles.
- Tragic and comic elements were combined.
- Parallel plots or secondary actions were introduced.
Themes in Lope de Vega’s Works
- Abuse of power by nobles against the lower classes: Fuenteovejuna.
- Love depicted through entanglements and comic situations: La dama boba.
- Honor and glory: The Knight of Olmedo.