Francisco de Quevedo: Master of Satire and Picaresque

Satirical Poetry: Quevedo's Unmatched Wit

Francisco de Quevedo has no equal in our satirical poetry. His wit and acuity are inexhaustible, as is his ability to criticize, ridicule, and use grotesque deformation to treat subjects ranging from the serious and important to the least significant.

Themes and Subjects in His Verse

He alludes in his poems to:

• Characters of Baroque society: doctors, women, and deceived husbands.
• Writers and literary issues: especially Culteranismo.
• Góngora and myths: such as Apollo and Daphne.
• Historical characters: like Pilate and Nero.
• Literary heroes: such as El Cid.

Famous Satirical Verses

Some of these poems are especially well-known, for example, the sonnet "A una nariz" ("Érase un hombre a una nariz pegado") or Quevedo's critical verses in which he describes the power of money and the desire for gold: "Madre, yo al oro me humillo".

Prose Work: The Dreams

The Dreams (Los Sueños) is one of the most unique works by Quevedo. Leveraging the artifice of visions and dreams, the author develops a critique of manners and vices while parading an altarpiece of the most diverse characters and types. Quevedo presents a burlesque look, but he is also concerned and disappointed by the Spanish society of his era. He utilizes his own wit and a language that is remarkably fluent.

The Five Dreams

The work is composed of five dreams, including:

• The Dream of Skulls (El sueño de las calaveras)
• The World from the Inside (El mundo por de dentro)
• The Visit of the Jokes (La visita de los chistes)

The Hustler: A Picaresque Masterpiece

The Hustler (El Buscón) is undoubtedly the best work in prose by Quevedo and the culmination of the picaresque novel. The author's obvious moral intention is limited to linking and telling a series of episodes and misfortunes of the protagonist, Don Pablos, set in a world treated with bitter tones.

The Misadventures of Don Pablos

Don Pablos is the son of parents with little virtue. He enters the service of student Diego Coronel, staying at the house of Master Cabra. At the University of Alcalá, he suffers cruel ridicule. Having learned from his uncle that his father has been hanged in Segovia, he goes to collect his inheritance. He then marches to Madrid, where his thefts and misdeeds end in jail. Once free, he is beaten by attempting to marry a cousin of Don Diego; he becomes a comic in Toledo and a cheat in Seville. He ends up as a player participating in a brawl that concludes with deaths. The story ends with his intention to board a boat for the Indies.

Quevedo's Mastery of Language

Don Pablos is a self-made rogue whom Quevedo treats without compassion, shaking him both physically and morally. Quevedo shows his mastery of language and his best style. El Buscón is a masterpiece and an important work in Spanish literature.