Spanish Golden Age Literature: Góngora, Quevedo, and Lope

17th-Century Spanish Lyrical Styles

The lyrical styles of the seventeenth century are defined by two primary movements:

• Culteranismo: Characterized by an extreme complication of language, excessive use of literary figures, mythological references, strange words, and strange, violent twists. This style is epitomized by the poetry of Luis de Góngora.
• Conceptismo: Focused on the extreme complication of content. It utilizes multiple ingenious and far-fetched associations between concepts and words. Senior representatives include Lope de Vega and Francisco de Quevedo.

The Works of Luis de Góngora

Góngora has two facets: he is both a simple poet and an obscure, almost incomprehensible one. His work mixes popular and cultured aspects.

• Góngora cultivated the letrilla and the romance.
• He is one of the masters of the sonnet, one of the most educated poetic forms.
• His great poems are also characterized by nature-focused themes.

The Diverse Poetry of Francisco de Quevedo

The poetry of Quevedo is highly varied. He fuses opposing elements: the noble with the commoner, the beautiful with the degrading, and accolades with scathing criticism.

• His love poetry is among the most exciting in Spanish literature.
• In satirical and burlesque poetry, his expressive strength reaches unmatched heights due to the condensation of his style and the use of hyperbole.
• His religious and moral poetry is brimming with pessimism and frustration.
• In his romances, he addresses all possible topics, including hunts and court parties.

The Life and Legacy of Lope de Vega

Lope Félix de Vega Carpio was born in 1562. A passionate character, he was deeply involved in the literary life of his time. His intense love life even brought him trouble with the law, yet his piety eventually led him to become a priest. He had many influential friends and died in Madrid in 1635.

Lope de Vega’s Literary Production

He cultivated almost all literary genres, including lyric poetry, narrative prose and verse, and drama.

Poetry: The Human Rhymes

The Human Rhymes is a compilation of poems discussing issues of love, mythology, biblical themes, and art.

Narrative Works

Among the production of Lope de Vega, his narrative highlights include the pastoral novel and the Byzantine novel.

• He described courtly life in Alba de Tormes.
• The Pilgrim in His Homeland is a complex adventure story full of incidents leading to a happy ending.

Lope de Vega’s New Comedy and Drama

Lope is the author of several mystery plays and comedies. His most representative titles include:

• Religiosas: Good Save.
• Mythology: The Firmer Husband.
• Pastoral: Belardo the Furious.
• Historical: The Best Mayor, the King.
• Traditionalists: La Dama Boba.

Key Features of the New Comedy

Lope’s drama is characterized primarily by these features:

• A blend of the tragic and comic, and the noble and popular.
• Rupture of the rule of three units.
• Use of various types of verses.
• Creation of dynamic plot situations.