Luis de Góngora Summary

The Spanish poet Luis de Góngora y Argote (1561-1627) caused a furor with his use of complex metaphor, Latinized vocabulary, unconventional syntax, and metaphysical subtleties. His baroque styl... Read more

In the following excerpt from the prefatory matter to his translation of the Soledades, Wilson examines the importance of Góngora's poetry, concentrating on his use of metaphors in the S... Read more

In the following essay, Amann argues that many recent critics have misinterpreted the “Discurso contra las navegaciones,” erroneously claiming that Góngora was an enemy of Spanish... Read more

In the following essay, McCaw seeks to explain why the Soledades has been the object of so much confusion and criticism, and goes on to argue that the poem is about life and death in the natural world... Read more

In the following essay, Edwards traces the inspiration for “Angelica y Medoro,” a ballad that displays Góngora's poetic genius and anticipates many of the themes of his lat... Read more

In the first excerpt below, Beverley argues that the Soledades was written in response to Hapsburg absolutism, Spanish decadence, and impending imperial decline. In the second excerpt, he examines the... Read more

In the first excerpt that follows, Lehrer argues that three minor works by Góngora, the sonnet “Mientras por competir con tu cabello,” the romance “En un pastoral albergue,... Read more

In the following essay, Friedman argues that Góngora's retelling of familiar stories in Polifemo y Galatea is indicative of the poet's literary competition with past and contempor... Read more