Baltasar Gracián: Philosophy, Style, and El Criticón
Baltasar Gracián: A Baroque Master
Baltasar Gracián, a poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age, is considered a master of didactic and philosophical prose. His style, characterized by very personal, short sentences, is dense, concentrated, and polysemous. He mastered wordplay and ingenious word associations, resulting in a terse language, full of aphorisms, capable of conveying many ideas and meanings.
The thought of this Baroque author is profoundly pessimistic; he believed the world is hostile and misleading, and humanity is weak and vicious. A precursor to postmodern existentialism, Gracián influenced the philosophy of Schopenhauer and French freethinkers. His thought is inseparable from the consciousness of a Spain in decline.
His Most Notable Work: El Criticón
His most notable work is El Criticón. This allegorical and philosophical novel was published in several parts: 1651, 1653, and 1657. It is not only his magnum opus but also a culmination of the great literary works of the Golden Age and Spanish literature.
Written in prose with a strong moral teaching, each chapter is a ‘crisis’ that can be viewed from both a realistic and a purely philosophical perspective. The work allegorically represents human life through two facets: an impulsive and inexperienced character, Andrenio, and a wise and experienced one, Critilo.
Structure and Themes of El Criticón
The characters, Andrenio and Critilo, are symbolic figures traveling the world in search of happiness and virtue. They evolve psychologically throughout the story. The work conveys a pessimistic view of a misleading world, yet suggests that individuals can overcome its challenges.
El Criticón exhibits characteristics of both Byzantine and picaresque novels. Its incidents, adventures, and satirical view of society, reflected in the protagonists’ pilgrimage, lean more towards the picaresque than the Byzantine. The author’s purpose is for the characters to achieve both happiness and virtue. This search is presented in three distinct parts:
The Three Parts of El Criticón
First Part: Childhood and Youth
Titled In the Spring of Childhood and the Summer of Youth, this part sees Andrenio living on the island of Saint Helena, unaware of the wider world, until he meets his companion Critilo. Together, they embark on a journey to Spain. The events leading Critilo to the island are also narrated.
Second Part: Manly Age
Titled Judicious Philosophical Court in the Autumn of Manly Age, this section describes their pilgrimage through France.
Third Part: Old Age
Titled In the Winter of Old Age, the characters are in Germany and reach the ultimate destination for Christian pilgrims, Rome. Here, death is announced, but both achieve immortality by crossing the waters of Fame.
Both the first and second parts are composed of thirteen ‘crises’ or chapters, while the third has twelve.
The novel presents a series of juxtaposed allegorical and fantastical scenes, serving as moral lessons encountered during the characters’ journey, similar to picaresque books of the era. While reflecting a pessimistic view of society, El Criticón offers hope as the two characters manage to escape prevailing mediocrity and achieve eternal fame.