SOURCE: Wilson, Edward Meryon. “Introduction.” In The Solitudes of Don Luis de Góngora: A Text with Verse Translation, pp. xi-xxi. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1965.

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 Soledades, but also describing the poet's early works and evolving influence.

Gongorism

Gongorism is the name applied to a school of writing, of which [The Solitudes] is the most important example. It is remarkable for a latinisation of vocabulary and syntax, combined with a great elaboration and complication of metaphor. The wish to rescue poetry from old clichés and to give the Spanish language a classical sonority doubtless led Góngora to increase those elements in his style from about the year 1590 onwards. This trend was assisted by his gradually turning away...