Góngora and Quevedo: Spanish Baroque Poetry
Luis de Góngora: Master of Culteranismo
Luis de Góngora (1561-1627) crafted a brilliant and elaborate poetic language, characterized by its intellectualism and aestheticism. His poetry aimed not to represent reality directly, but to transform it through intricate metaphors, creating a new world of beauty. Góngora’s work is primarily addressed to the intellect, focusing on aesthetic admiration rather than emotional expression.
His poetry can be broadly divided into two styles:
- Cultured Poetry (Culteranismo): This style intensified after Góngora’s retirement to Córdoba. It is characterized by:
- Intensification of lexical and cultural elements.
- Use of elaborate and beautifying metaphors.
- Abundant mythological allusions.
A prime example of this style is The Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea, a long poem narrating the mythological story of the Cyclops Polyphemus’s unrequited love for the nymph Galatea, and his jealous rage against her lover, Acis. Polyphemus crushes Acis with a rock, and Acis’s blood transforms into a river.
- Traditional Poetry: Góngora also composed romances (ballads) that represent a more traditional side. These romances cover a variety of themes: pastoral, lyrical, Moorish, and mythological.
In his ballads and satirical *letrillas*, conceptismo often predominates.
Francisco de Quevedo: Master of Conceptismo
Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645) was a prolific writer of both poetry and prose, encompassing a wide range of forms and genres. He masterfully combined cultured and popular elements, serious and mocking tones, employing a *conceptista* style. His work reflects the characteristic contrasts of the Baroque period.
Quevedo’s Life
Quevedo was active in the court environment and engaged in intense political activity, alongside his writing. He often produced satirical and scathing works about contemporary figures. He was a friend of Cervantes and Lope de Vega, but a rival of Góngora, who became a frequent target of his satire.
Quevedo’s Poetry
Quevedo’s poetry can be categorized into two main styles:
Serious and Reflective Poetry
In this style, Quevedo expresses his feelings with profound depth. This category includes moral, religious, and amorous poems. The compositions address the moral meaning of life, death, the passage of time, and other themes. Quevedo is perhaps the Baroque poet most obsessed with the transience of life and the certainty of death. His poems raise moral issues such as power and wealth, predominantly expressing pessimism and disillusionment. In his love compositions, he combines Petrarchan clichés with a very personal passion.
Satirical and Burlesque Poetry
This style is dominated by linguistic experimentation. Quevedo presents a critical view of society through burlesque. The topics are varied, often targeting professions like doctors and judges, and, notably, Góngora.
Quevedo’s Style
Quevedo’s originality stems from his unique use of language and experimentation with new expressive resources. His poetry tends towards *conceptismo*, aiming to create surprising new concepts through unexpected associations.
Key features of his style include:
- Original metaphors, either beautifying or deforming human figures.
- Creation of new words (neologisms).
- Unconventional use of grammatical categories.
- Abundant *conceptista* puns, often based on hyperbole, exaggeration, antithesis, and polysemy.