Quevedo’s Critique of Góngora: A Baroque Literary Analysis
XVII Century: Góngora vs. Quevedo – Quevedo Attacks
Against Don Luis de Góngora and His Poetry
Location of Text
This poem by Quevedo is part of the Baroque art movement, characterized by a profound societal crisis reflected in the works of the time through complex forms and pessimistic sentiments. This crisis also affected the political and economic spheres, as Spain lost its political hegemony in Europe. The Habsburg kings, known as “the Habsburgs under,” gave excessive power to their ministers. The economic crisis led to general impoverishment and severe epidemics.
Two literary trends emerged during the Baroque period: Culteranismo, championed by Góngora and Lope de Vega, and Conceptismo, led by Quevedo.
Culteranismo emphasized form, using neologisms, Latinisms, mythology, metaphors, cultisms, and hyperbaton, altering the logical order of phrases.
Conceptismo, on the other hand, focused on ingenious associations between words and ideas, employing complex language and multiple meanings.
This text exemplifies the ongoing personal and stylistic confrontation between these two authors and their respective movements.
Francisco de Quevedo
Francisco de Quevedo, the author of this text, was born in Madrid in 1580 and died in 1645 in Ciudad Real. His prose and poetry are known for their complexity. He rarely sought publication, but his works were circulated by those close to him. Later works like “The Last Three Muses,” “Mighty Gentleman is Don Money,” “Once Upon a Man Stuck a Nose,” and “Against Don Luis de Góngora and His Poetry” contributed to his fame. This fragment belongs to the latter, a satirical and burlesque work written in 1626.
Literary Genre
This composition by Quevedo falls within the lyric genre, characterized by:
- Subjective speech: This text is a critical piece, making it inherently subjective.
- Prevalence of emotional and poetic function: The poetic function is evident in the vocabulary used, such as the expression “orbre last.”
- Lyrical “I.”
- Focus on a single theme: The central theme is a critique of Góngora, possibly alluding to his homosexuality.
- Accumulation of technical and expressive resources: The first quatrain employs repetition, metaphor, hyperbole, and other stylistic devices.
- Use of verse: While lyrical prose exists, this piece is written in verse.
Content Analysis
The theme developed by Quevedo in this poem is a critique of Góngora, potentially targeting his homosexuality.
The poem’s argument revolves around a detailed and grotesque description of Góngora’s posterior.
Structurally, the poem is a sonnet divided into two quatrains and two tercets. The quatrains and the first tercet describe Góngora’s posterior grotesquely, while the final tercet explicitly accuses Góngora of homosexuality.
Analysis of Form
This sonnet consists of two quatrains and two tercets in hendecasyllabic verse (heroic verse) with a rhyme scheme of ABBA ABBA CDC DCD. However, verses two and three employ assonance instead of perfect rhyme.
The poem features an abundance of adjectives (last, antipode, blind), metaphors (“This, in whom today are sirens farts”), and elaborate language (“antipodal face,” “Abaque,” “last world”), making it challenging for the reader.
Text as Communication
As a literary text, the author, Quevedo, is the originator of the message. The receiver is the reader. The code is the Castilian Spanish of the time. The channel is visual, and the message is the subject of the work (criticism of Góngora) conveyed through the argument (detailed description of Góngora’s posterior).
Conclusion
The text is a scathing critique of Góngora, possibly focusing on his sexuality.
The poem’s complex and cultured vocabulary makes it difficult to understand, potentially reflecting Quevedo’s intention to address a select audience.
Critical Assessment
The theme of this sonnet, homosexuality, remains relevant today and is a subject of increasing discussion.
Homosexuality is gradually gaining acceptance, but prejudice and rejection persist. Some still label homosexual individuals as “abnormal” or “sick,” echoing the sentiments expressed in Quevedo’s poem.
From my perspective, no one should be discriminated against based on race, culture, sexual orientation, or appearance. Homosexual individuals are no different from those considered “normal.” Their physical and psychological aspects do not deviate from the human norm. The only difference lies in their feelings and preferences regarding their partner’s sex, a fact that should be tolerated.
Quevedo’s use of elaborate language can make the poem inaccessible to a wider audience. Some critics suggest he wrote for a select audience, which seems limiting. Ideally, a writer’s work should reach as many people as possible.
In conclusion, understanding this poem requires a strong vocabulary and an awareness of the historical context.