Spanish Baroque Literature: A Deep Dive

Literature of the Baroque: Lyric Theater

1. The Baroque Era: A Century of Crises and Conflicts

The 17th century, known as the Baroque period, was a time of widespread crisis—economic, demographic, political, social, and military. The Spanish Empire experienced a significant decline.

2. Baroque Ideology, Beliefs, and Thought

Religion permeated Baroque thinking. This religion, based on the Counter-Reformation, was deeply intolerant and controlling (Inquisition).

The Baroque worldview was pessimistic and disillusioned, reflecting a sense of crisis, the passage of time, and the brevity of life.

Religious beliefs intertwined with magical beliefs about the supernatural world (spirits, miracles, superstitions, etc.).

Concepts of honor, revenge, and violence were prominent, leading to tumultuous situations.

Cleanliness of blood held great importance, and the era was markedly misogynistic.

Two opposing schools of thought influenced individuals:

• Stoicism: Emphasized serene acceptance of adversity and renouncing passions and pleasures.
• Epicureanism: Focused on the continuous pursuit of pleasure and beauty to escape hardship. Closely related to Carpe Diem and the enjoyment of the senses.

3. The "Golden Age"

The Baroque period is also known as the "Golden Age" due to a cultural boom encompassing literature, painting, sculpture, and architecture.

4. Baroque Poetry: Themes, Topics, and Formal Aspects

Baroque poetry inherited the legacy of Petrarchism.

• It intensified expressiveness.
• Renaissance resources and topics were maintained, but with the addition of themes of disappointment, ruins, social criticism, and awareness of the era's crises.

Baroque poetry is classified by its dual focus (serious and mock poetry) and by subject matter:

• Love poetry: Descriptions of feminine beauty, the pain of loss, the definition of love, and the exaltation of loving feelings.
• Philosophical poetry: Reflections on the transience of life, including themes of tempus fugit, memento mori, and homo viator.
• Social criticism: Critiques of money, social classes, political intrigue, and poor governance.
• Religious poetry: Focus on the figure of Christ, repentance, passion, death, sin, and the need for virtue.
• Burlesque poetry: Parodies and ridicules mythology, society, politics, and even individuals.

Formal aspects: Renaissance metrical forms (sonnets, odes, lyres, octaves, etc.) were maintained, alongside popular forms (villancicos, romances, letrillas, and seguidillas).

Cultured art forms were more prevalent than popular ones.

Stylistic devices were inherited from previous periods and often exaggerated.

5. The Artistic Ideal: Culteranismo vs. Conceptismo

Baroque art emphasized exaggeration and invention over the Renaissance ideals of imitation, simplicity, and harmony. It aimed to astonish the reader through complex language and wit, requiring a reader prepared for intricate verbal and cultural references.

Two stylistic tendencies emerged:

• Culteranismo: Characterized by a refined and difficult vocabulary, excessive use of metaphors, and frequent mythological allusions. Luis de Góngora y Argote was a key figure.
• Conceptismo: Based on ingenious concepts and deep feelings expressed through antithesis, comparisons, hyperbole, metaphors, anaphora, parallelism, and wordplay. Francisco de Quevedo was a prominent figure.