Baroque Literature: Culteranismo, Key Authors, and Themes
Culteranismo is a tendency within the Baroque period. Its characteristic is the pursuit, exemplified by Luis de Góngora, of creating a cultured and unique poetic language. It emphasizes formal beauty, colorful brilliance, and sensory experiences.
The concept is also represented by Francisco de Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián, who tend towards expressive density, concision, wit, and the use of many figures of speech.
Baroque poetry is a highlight of the 17th century. Its themes include love, morality, religion, and satirical-burlesque subjects.
Baroque prose, aside from the picaresque novel, includes Cervantes’ short novels, María de Zayas’ (Amorous and Exemplary Novels), Cristóbal Lozano’s Byzantine Pilgrims in Their Homeland, Lope de Vega’s allegorical works, Baltasar Gracián’s El Criticón, and Agustín de Rojas’ manners (El Viaje Entretenido), and Luis Vélez de Guevara’s El Diablo Cojuelo.
The picaresque novel features a first-person realistic narrative, an open-ended structure, a rogue character, and moralistic tones. Examples include Quevedo’s El Buscón and Mateo Alemán’s Guzmán de Alfarache.
The poet Luis de Góngora is known for both cultured and accessible works, ranging from joyful to somber themes. His letrillas and romances depict goods, property, and laments. His romances often feature Oran. His sonnets, such as those dedicated to the illustrious and beautiful Maria, invite one to taste the sweet mouth. His poems include Soledades, Polifemo y Galatea, and Fábula de Píramo y Tisbe.
Francisco de Quevedo is renowned for his loving, metaphysical, satirical, and moral works. His metaphysical poetry explores themes of death and decay. His satirical and censorious moral epistles critique Castilian customs. His satirical prose presents heroic characters and myths. His prose works include Sueños y Discursos, featuring characters like the hustler Don Pablos.
Lope de Vega’s theater creates the new comedy, which breaks from the three-unit structure, emphasizing tempo and action. It blends comedy and tragedy within the same work, written in verse, and incorporates dances and songs. Its themes are popular and nationalist, focusing on love, jealousy, religion, and pride. Key characters include the king (representing authority and justice), the rich nobleman (who abuses power), the gallant young noble (handsome and brave), the lady’s father or brother, and the honest villain (an old Christian farmer) or the buffoon. Lope’s works include comedies like Fuenteovejuna and El Caballero de Olmedo, as well as foreign comedies like El Gran Duque de Moscovia. He also wrote cloak and dagger comedies like La Dama Boba and El Perro del Hortelano. His dramatic theory emphasizes action, a three-day timeframe, and popularity. His romances include Belardo Gardener. His lyrical poetry includes Mayoral. His prose works include La Arcadia, La Filomena, La Dorotea, and short novels like La Marcia Leonarda.
Tirso de Molina’s works include Don Gil de las Calzas Verdes and La Villana de Vallecas. His major works include El Burlador de Sevilla and El Condenado por Desconfiado. His themes include warnings, deceit, and divine justice.