Baroque Literature: Aesthetics and Key Authors
Aesthetic and Literary Baroque
Limited Originality
Faced with imposed limitations, Baroque writers sought to surprise the reader with wit and originality.
Imbalance and Disproportion
The harmony and balance of Neoclassicism are lost in the Baroque, replaced by a need to express the excesses of human reality in an elaborate manner. Baroque writers highlight contradictions through the predominance of contrasts and the constant use of antithesis.
Revaluation of the Human and Yearning for Infinity
On one hand, there’s a passionate attraction to earthly realities. On the other, these realities are recognized as ephemeral, causing disappointment and a yearning for the spiritual.
Dynamism and Transience
The Baroque is characterized by a constant impression of movement, leading to an awareness of the transience of life and the passage of time.
The Beautiful and the Grotesque
Baroque aesthetics value beauty, ornamentation, and artificiality in poetry, introducing sensory elements (color and musicality). However, it simultaneously considers the “ugly” as an artistic value and an expression of individuality.
Imitation and Overcoming the Classics
Classical authors are revered and respected, serving as models. However, Baroque writers not only imitate but also attempt to surpass them, losing some respect for the classics and daring to mock classical myths. It also parodies Renaissance elements.
Baroque Themes
Overall Baroque themes are similar to those of Renaissance literature, but with more artificiality and complexity:
Love
The Petrarchan influence continues, but the Renaissance balance is replaced by greater passion and a tone of despair. The union of love and death is a frequent theme in poems.
Nature
The Neoplatonic vision of 16th-century poets is abandoned, with nature becoming a decorative element that draws attention to itself.
Mythology
Recreations of classic myths are common, sometimes with a sarcastic and humorous twist.
Disenchantment
There’s a focus on the transience of worldly values (wealth, power, beauty, youth).
Truth of Life
A disillusioned worldview emerges from the disappointments of life. Phrases like “To live is to walk a short journey” and “Time is fleeting” reflect this perspective.
Death
Death is a constant theme, representing an element of imbalance.
Authors of Baroque Poetry
Felix Lope de Vega
Nicknamed “The Phoenix of Wits,” Lope de Vega is better known for his theater than his poetry, though the latter is far from negligible. He studied at the Imperial College of the Jesuits, as well as in Salamanca and Alcalá. He participated in the Spanish Armada, then moved to Valencia where he began writing, eventually settling in Madrid where he produced most of his work. He wrote approximately 1500 plays, making him one of the most prolific writers of all time. A passionate man, he wrote love poems to various women. He married Isabel de Urbina, whom he calls “Belisa” in his poetry, and later Elena Osorio, who appears as “Filis.” He also wrote about his love for Micaela Luján (“Camila Lucinda”) and Marta de Nevares (“Amarilis”). He experienced a religious crisis that led him to become a priest, dedicating poems to God, but struggled with celibacy. During this stage, he wrote Rhymes and Sacred Rhymes. His works include Rhymes, Sacred Rhymes, and Human and Divine Rhymes of the Lawyer Tomé Burguillos. He balanced elements of both Conceptismo and Culteranismo. He composed romances, letrillas, sonnets, odes, elegies, and songs, and attempted longer narrative poems: The Dragontea (about Sir Francis Drake), The Jerusalem Conquered (about the Crusades), and Gatomaquia (about two cats fighting for a female cat).
Luis de Góngora y Argote
This poet from Córdoba belonged to the lower nobility. He moved to Madrid seeking court patronage, but his poetry reflects a sense of frustration at not being as favored as Quevedo. He studied in Salamanca, gaining a broad education. He later became a priest, though criticized for his fondness for bullfighting, gambling, and luxuries. He eventually became a royal chaplain, but Alzheimer’s disease affected him, and he died in Córdoba in 1627. Initially, his lyrics were more popular in style, but from 1610 onwards, he adopted a more elaborate “culto” style.
Themes of his poetry:
Satirical and Burlesque Poetry (Letrillas)
These popular compositions feature a chorus and verses. Góngora criticizes social injustices and mocks the court, other poets, and even mythological figures. Examples include “I’ll go hot” and “Money is quality.”
Love Poetry (Sonnets)
Góngora is a great love poet, but his love is often a poetic exercise rather than lived experience. Influenced by Petrarch, he explores unrequited love and love’s disappointments. The Carpe Diem theme is present. He also warns against love, as in “Don’t trust women.”
Serious or Moral Poetry
His poems on moral and religious themes are not as profound as Quevedo’s. He writes about old age, heartbreak, and religious subjects (including Christmas poems). He also wrote a sonnet to Córdoba.
His work includes romances, letrillas, sonnets, and three major poems: Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea and Solitudes (including Fable of Pyramus and Thisbe).
Polyphemus and Galatea: Composed in octaves and inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Polyphemus, a Cyclops, falls in love with Galatea, who loves Acis. Polyphemus kills Acis, and the gods, taking pity on Galatea, transform Acis into a river. The poem is characterized by its use of hyperbaton and Culteranismo.
The Solitudes: A long poem written in silvas. It tells the story of a young castaway who encounters goatherds and sailors. Góngora planned four sections dedicated to different stages of life, but only completed two.
Importance of Góngora:
Góngora was dedicated to creating a unique poetic language. A controversial figure, he clashed with Lope de Vega. He had his advocates and admirers (like the Count of Villamediana). While neglected in the 18th and 19th centuries, he was rediscovered by the Generation of ’27. He is considered a master of aesthetic rigor and the creation of beauty through language.
Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas
Quevedo came from a lower noble family from Santander. He studied at the University of Alcalá and Valladolid. He served the Duke of Osuna, accompanying him to Naples when the Duke became Viceroy. A sharp political critic, he wrote anonymous satires (though widely attributed to him) against the Count-Duke of Olivares, leading to his exile on two occasions. At the end of his life, he retired to his family’s estate in Villanueva de los Infantes. His poetry, characterized by linguistic brilliance, includes sonnets, letrillas, ballads, and other forms.
Themes of his poetry:
Love Poetry
Quevedo is considered a major love poet in Spanish literature. Initially influenced by Neoplatonism and Petrarch, he later explored the theme of love enduring beyond death. He wrote to an idealized woman, “Lisi” (as in “Close my eyes”).
Satirical and Burlesque Poetry
Quevedo excelled at satire, criticizing various aspects of society with wit and biting humor. He was a master of derogatory language.
Moral and Metaphysical Poetry
His metaphysical poems explore life, death, and the passage of time. He expresses a pessimistic view and criticizes vanity and earthly pursuits.
Religious Poems
Quevedo’s religious poems are profound, exploring the relationship between God and humanity. He wrote about Christ on the cross and the hardness of the human heart.
Political Poems
He addressed the decline of the Spanish empire and political corruption (as in “Censorious Epistle to the Duke of Olivares”).
Conceptismo and Culteranismo
The Baroque interest in linguistic form and expression is reflected in two literary trends: Conceptismo and Culteranismo. Both demonstrate the writer’s desire for verbal skill and wit, aiming to elevate language beyond everyday speech.
Conceptismo
Conceptismo focuses on the manipulation of ideas and meanings. It aims to say much with few words, using an ironic and witty style with double meanings. Key resources include metaphors (used for impact rather than beauty) and puns. It employs a concise style, eliminating unnecessary words. Francisco de Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián are major figures of Conceptismo.
Culteranismo
Culteranismo prioritizes elaborate form and artificiality. It seeks to create an ornate and impressive language, using literary devices and a highly stylized vocabulary. Key resources include metaphors (to create a world of beauty), cultisms, neologisms, hyperbaton, adjectives, hyperbole, alliteration, and paronomasia. Luis de Góngora is the most prominent figure of Culteranismo, which is sometimes called “Gongorism.”