Spanish Golden Age Literature: Quevedo, Lope de Vega and Enlightenment

Francisco de Quevedo: Poetic Themes

In the poetic work of Francisco de Quevedo, three thematic blocks are distinguished:

• Moral-philosophical poems: Focused on time and death, the author advocates for an attitude of stoic serenity.
• Love poems: The feeling of love is so intense that it endures beyond death.
• Satirical-burlesque poems: These criticize social types, characters, vices, and habits with relentless humor.

The Corral de Comedias

The corral de comedias were interior courtyards that housed public theatrical representations. The estate was distributed as follows:

• Nobles: Aposentos (private boxes).
• Clergy: Tertulia.
• Commoners: Women in the cazuela (yard), men in the lunetas, bleachers, and attics.

The first permanent corral de comedias was the Corral de la Cruz.

The New Comedy (Comedia Nueva)

Characteristics include:

• Division into three acts.
• Use of verse.
• Mixture of tragic and comic elements.
• Central themes: Honor (reputation of a good man) and Love (the feeling and conflict with honor).

Fixed Character Types

• Protagonists: Galán and Dama.
• Antagonists: Contragalán and Contradama.
• Servants: Funny characters and maids.
• Authority figures: Parents, siblings, and the King.

Key Authors

Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Agustín Moreto, Ruiz de Alarcón, and Calderón de la Barca.

Lope de Vega

His main feature is the agility of action in his dramatic works:

• Dramas of power: Unjust abuse by a nobleman in rural areas (e.g., Fuenteovejuna).
• Comedies: Urban environments (e.g., The Dog in the Manger).
• Tragedies: Violent death (e.g., The Knight of Olmedo).

Tirso de Molina

Characterized by the importance of female characters. His most famous work is The Trickster of Seville, where Don Juan Tenorio appears for the first time as a young conqueror punished for his immoral behavior.

Calderón de la Barca

Known for his philosophical depth:

• Honor drama: Murderous wives and honor (e.g., The Mayor of Zalamea).
• Swashbuckling comedy: Love affairs, misunderstandings, and happy endings (e.g., The Lady Elf).
• Philosophical drama: Adverse destiny, freedom, and fate (e.g., Life is a Dream).

The Enlightenment Period

The Pictorial Essay

The preferred genre for the enlightened to disseminate their ideas:

• Benito Jerónimo Feijoo: Teatro crítico universal.
• José Cadalso: Moroccan Letters.
• Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos: Report on Land Law.

Illustrated Theater

Theater was considered an ideal tool for educating society. Features include works in prose and the rule of the three units. The main representative is Leandro Fernández de Moratín (e.g., The Maiden's Consent).

The Eighteenth-Century Lyric

The principal representative is Juan Meléndez Valdés, known for Anacreontic poetry (exaltation of love, pleasure, female beauty, and idealized nature)" ).