17th & 18th Century Spanish Literature: Movements & Styles

Posted on Oct 18, 2024 in Latin

17th & 18th Century Spanish Literature

Culteranismo

Characterized by elaborate and ornate language, Culteranismo is best exemplified by Luis de Góngora. This style emphasizes formal beauty, vivid imagery, and sensory details. Key features include:

  • Brilliant metaphors
  • Hyperbaton (altered word order)
  • Cultisms (obscure vocabulary)

Conceptismo

Represented by Francisco de Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián, Conceptismo focuses on the density and collision of expression, prioritizing wit and ingenuity. This style utilizes:

  • Acuity and ellipses
  • Puns and paradoxes
  • Equivocations and wordplay
  • Hyperbole and antithesis

Poetry

Common themes in 17th-century poetry include:

  • Love and sentiment
  • Moral and metaphysical reflections
  • Religious devotion
  • Satire and burlesque

Góngora

Known for his letrillas and romances, Góngora’s works display a wide range of themes and expressive language, showcasing his Culteranismo style.

  • Romances: Address diverse themes and motifs.
  • Sonetos: Feature intricate structures and themes of love and beauty.
  • Longer Poems: Include the Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea and Soledades.

Quevedo

Quevedo’s poetic works span sonnets, ballads, letrillas, songs, and epistles, covering themes of love, metaphysics, morality, and satire.

  • Love Poetry: “My eyes may close to the world”
  • Metaphysical Poetry: “I see the walls of my homeland”
  • Moral and Satirical Poetry: “Epistle against the customs of the Castilians”
  • Satirical Poetry: “Erase a man, stick a nose”

His prose includes Dreams and El Buscón.

Picaresque Novel

Characteristics of the picaresque novel include:

  • First-person narration
  • Open narrative structure
  • Realistic depiction of characters
  • Protagonist of low social standing and questionable morals
  • Often moralizing tones

17th Century Theatre: The Comedia Nueva

Lope de Vega revolutionized Spanish theatre with the Comedia Nueva, introducing innovations such as:

  • Rejection of the classical unities of time, place, and action
  • Three-act structure (jornadas)
  • Mixing of comedy and tragedy
  • Use of varied verse forms (polimetría)
  • Language adjusted to character status
  • Inclusion of songs, dances, and popular elements

Themes and Issues

Common themes include jealousy, religion, popular and national issues, love, and honor.

Characters

  • The King: Represents authority and dispenses justice.
  • Noble Knight: Powerful and often abusive.
  • Gallant Lover: Young, handsome, noble, and courageous.
  • Lady: Beautiful and noble.
  • Old Man (Father, Husband, or Relative): Concerned with honor and revenge.
  • Villain
  • Gracioso (Funny Man): Often a servant, materialistic and charlatan-like.

Lope de Vega’s Works

  • Historical and Spanish Themes: Fuenteovejuna, The Knight of Olmedo, Peribáñez y el Comendador de Ocaña
  • Foreign Themes: The Grand Duke of Muscovy
  • Intrigue and Cloak and Dagger: The Dog in the Manger, La dama boba

Lope de Vega also wrote poetry (lyric, epic) and narrative works.

Tirso de Molina

Key works include:

  • The Cigarrales de Toledo (prose)
  • The Prudent Woman, Don Gil of the Green Breeches, Marta la Piadosa (minor works)
  • The Damned by Despair, The Trickster of Seville (major works)

The Trickster of Seville Themes

  • Deceptions and Promises
  • Fire (passion, dishonor, hell)
  • Night (love and death)

Calderón de la Barca

Known for philosophical works like Life is a Dream.

Neoclassicism

  • Theatre: Leandro Fernández de Moratín (The Young Maidens)
  • Poetry: Félix María Samaniego (fables), Tomás de Iriarte (fables), Juan Meléndez Valdés (bucolic and philosophical poems)
  • Prose: Benito Jerónimo Feijoo (essays), Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (reports)

Pre-Romanticism

José Cadalso (Mournful Nights, Moroccan Letters)

Romanticism in Spain

Characteristics of Spanish Romanticism include:

  • Emphasis on the individual
  • Newfound appreciation for nature
  • Focus on the surrounding world
  • Greater appreciation of national history and literature

Romantic Drama

Romantic drama rejected neoclassical rules, mixed comedy and tragedy, and favored historical, legendary, and chivalric themes. Works often featured rebellious heroes and heroines, mysterious atmospheres, and a mix of prose and verse.

Key Playwrights

  • Ángel de Saavedra (Duke of Rivas)
  • José Zorrilla
  • Francisco Martínez de la Rosa
  • Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch
  • Antonio García Gutiérrez

Notable Works

  • Aben Humeya, The Conspiracy of Venice (Martínez de la Rosa)
  • The Lovers of Teruel (Hartzenbusch)
  • The Troubadour (García Gutiérrez)
  • The Student of Salamanca, The Devil World (José de Espronceda)
  • Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino (Duke of Rivas)
  • Don Juan Tenorio (José Zorrilla)