Baroque Literature: Formal Perfection and Innovation
Baroque Literature: In Search of Formal Perfection
In the seventeenth century, alongside moral and religious themes, satirical, burlesque, critical, and philosophical subjects emerged. New literary works incorporated folk traditions within a context of high formal artistry. Form took precedence over content, and formal complexity became synonymous with beauty.
The Birth of the Modern Novel
Key examples include Guzmán de Alfarache and Don Quixote.
The New Comedy
Evolution of Lyric Poetry
Two trends emerged: culteranismo and conceptismo.
The Baroque Picaresque Novel: Moral Criticism
At the end of the sixteenth century, Mateo Alemán published his novel, Guzmán de Alfarache. Guzmán is a cultured person of humble origins. Also noteworthy is the didactic narrative of Baltasar Gracián, whose works show great concern for formal perfection.
The Baroque Theater: The Comedia Nueva
Theater stood out in the seventeenth century, catering to public taste and performed in venues called corrales. The audience stood, while the nobility occupied balconies and windows.
Lope de Vega (1562-1635): The Great Innovator
Author of hundreds of comedies, Lope de Vega blended Castilian literary tradition with cultivated styles. His dialogues are natural, adapted to the social status of the characters. His renewal is summarized in:
- Three acts, with acts divided into scenes.
- Breakdown of the rule of three unities.
- Blending of the tragic and the comic.
- Introduction of the gracioso (funny character).
Themes include love, defense of honor, and defense of the monarchy. Archetypal characters include the noble lady, the gentleman, the gallant, the villain, the gracioso, and the king.
Tirso de Molina (1583-1684): Individuality of Characters
Tirso de Molina is notable for his education and care in crafting characters, some of whom deviate from the archetypes created by his predecessor. Tirso’s characters possess great psychological depth and marked individuality. Notable plays include The Condemned for Lack of Faith and The Trickster of Seville and the Stone Guest.
Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681): Thoughtful Drama
Characteristics include:
- A trend toward philosophical reflection, creating a more intellectual theater.
- Complexity of dramatic action and formally developed dialogues.
- Fewer scenes, but more scenic industry.
The characters become more complex and individualized, even becoming symbols. His best-known works are The Mayor of Zalamea and Life is a Dream.
The Baroque Lyric: Conceptismo and Culteranismo
Two trends emerged within cultured lyric poetry:
Culteranismo
Culteranismo prioritizes form and uses a highly cultured language full of Latinisms, hyperbatons, learned words, verbal periphrasis, and so on. Góngora is a major figure, avoiding vulgar speech and resorting to classical mythology in his themes.
Conceptismo
Conceptismo employs ingenious concepts. Quevedo is a key figure, using contrived expression and trying to say the most with the fewest elements, with abundant metaphors, extravagant symbols, paradoxes, irony, etc.
Luis de Góngora (1561-1627): Poet of Culteranismo
Góngora was the creator of culteranismo: form overcomes content, and difficulty is equated with beauty. He pursued an absolute idealization of life, a supreme song of beauty to escape reality, while also approaching everyday reality, even in its most negative aspects. Góngora’s work includes 94 lyric ballads, 121 letrillas, and 167 sonnets. Among the best known are Polyphemus and Galatea and Solitudes.
Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645): Poet of Conceptismo
Quevedo was a refined and cruel author, alternating beautiful love poems with satire and criticism. He created conceptismo, the combination of two ideas as far apart as possible. His poetry can be grouped into three thematic sections: poems of philosophical and moral issues, love poems, and satire and burlesque. This part includes the famous poems “Mighty is Don Money” and “Once upon a man stuck to a nose.”
Lope de Vega (1562-1635): Autobiographical Poetry
We can understand the author through his work and vice versa. He was a vital man who had no marked tendency toward the pessimism of his contemporaries. A popular character, his ballads inspire, as do cults. Notable works include La Dragontea, La Andrómeda, and Gatomaquia.