Baroque Cultural Movement: Key Authors and Characteristics
Baroque Cultural Movement
The Baroque cultural movement developed during the seventeenth century in Europe. It is characterized by a highly artificial formal elaboration of artistic and literary works, conveying a generally pessimistic vision. The Baroque has a major presence in Catholic countries.
Ideology:
- Pessimistic and disillusioned view of existence.
- Reality is illusion and only appearance.
- To escape this disillusionment, people take two opposite directions: religious or spiritual enjoyment of passionate life.
Key Baroque Authors
Lope de Vega
Born in Madrid, married twice, and lived an intense love life with other women. His works include:
- Popular poems: Concerned with many issues through traditional forms.
- Cult poems: Primarily uses the sonnet.
Luis de Góngora
Born and died in Córdoba, from a noble and wealthy family. He was a law student, ordained as a priest, and faced economic troubles until his death. His works include:
- Popular compositions: Over 400.
- Cult works: Most important are Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea and Soledades.
Francisco de Quevedo
Born in Madrid into a noble family, studied in Madrid, and was later jailed for four years. He died in Villanueva de los Infantes in September 1645. His works include:
- Love poetry: In the Petrarchan style, with deep and passionate expression.
- Moralizing poetry: Frequent topics include the passage of time and the presence of death.
- Satirical-burlesque poetry: Shows his ingenuity in the use of language.
Baroque Theater
Prominent Authors
- Juan del Encina: Playwright, musician, and founder of Castilian theater. His works were directed to an aristocratic audience.
- Lope de Rueda: Actor, writer, and theater director. He created the first traveling theater company in Spain for a popular audience who paid to see the performances.
Lope de Vega
Known as the phoenix of the wits, creator of the Spanish national comedy. He created the New Comedy directed to an audience that identified with humble peasants or citizens as protagonists. Characteristic features of the new comedy:
- Mix of tragic and comic characters and events.
- Rejection of time and place units.
- The funny thing: Lope transforms the pastor-bobo into a charming, comic character, a servant of the protagonist, who amuses with his wit.
- Dominance of the themes of honor and love.
Calderón de la Barca
Born in Madrid, participated in military campaigns, and became a priest. His works include:
- Philosophical comedies: The most outstanding is Life is a Dream.
- Dramas: That a powerful noble humiliates the dignity of villagers.
- Dramas of conjugal honor: In works such as The Physician of His Own Honor or The Painter of His Dishonor, Calderón carried the code of honor to extremes.
- Autos sacramentales: Religious pieces at an event with allegorical characters that symbolize abstract ideas.
General Characteristics of Baroque Prose
Baroque prose reflects the realistic moment in society, with a moralizing and didactic intent focused on reflection on the evils that affect the individual, society, and the monarchy.
Picaresque Novel Characteristics
- The protagonist is of ignoble origin and must sharpen their wits to survive in a hostile society (antihero).
- It has a first-person account of life, fortune, and adversity, from childhood to maturity (autobiographical).
- Serves in different places under several masters and is often led into bad company (social criticism).
- Aims at social promotion.
- The story mode will often relate to a fictitious letter to the hero who has lived his life.
Mateo Alemán
Born in Seville in a family of Jewish descent, an accountant who was jailed several times due to unpaid debts. He emigrated to Mexico later in life.
Guzmán de Alfarache: In this novel, the main character tells of his travels in Spain and Italy through the various trades he practices.
Francisco de Quevedo – El Buscón
El Buscón was published for the first time in 1626, but the wording is much earlier, around 1603.
Argument: Paul, the son of a barber and a woman who practices witchcraft, comes as a servant to serve the young Diego Coronel. He moved to the University of Alcalá de Henares, where he suffers cruel jokes from students. He is involved in a murder trial and finally sets sail for America.
Main features:
- Item: The protagonist’s desire to become a knight and erase their ignoble origin, which is not fulfilled satirically.
- Strongly satirical content: It presents a hypocritical, ruthless, and cruel society with immoral rates.
- The use of language is perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the work. The author skillfully uses the resources of conceits.