Description
GREATNESS. THEATER, POETRY, AND POLITICS IN THE SPAIN OF THE SIGLO DE
Book Summary
This essay analyzes how political and religious power utilized theater and poetry during the Spanish Golden Age to construct an image of greatness and propaganda. The author unveils the mechanisms of social and cultural control that operated beneath a homogeneous surface, revealing the conflicts and tensions that official art attempted to hide. An essential work for understanding the complex relationships between artistic creation and power in 16th and 17th-century Spain.
What is it about?
The book examines the political and propagandistic function of theater and poetry in Golden Age Spain. The author starts from the concept of "greatness" as a tool of power to project an image of unity and splendor, masking the social and political contradictions of the era. Through the analysis of representative works and authors, it reveals how art became an instrument for the legitimization of monarchical and religious power, while beneath that brilliant surface, class conflicts, territorial tensions, and power struggles were simmering. The study dismantles the idealized vision of the period to offer a critical reading of its cultural manifestations.
Main themes
- The political instrumentalization of theater and poetry in the Spanish Golden Age.
- The construction of the image of imperial greatness as a tool of propaganda.
- The mechanisms of cultural and religious control exercised by those in power.
- The social tensions and conflicts hidden behind apparent cultural unity.
- The relationship between artistic patronage and political legitimization.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is intended for students and professionals in history, literature, theater, and art history, as well as readers interested in the relationships between culture and power. It is also of great utility to researchers of the Spanish Golden Age seeking a critical and updated perspective on the period.
What this book contributes
- A critical and demystifying look at the Spanish Golden Age, far removed from the traditional idealized vision.
- Analytical tools for understanding how art can be used as an instrument of power and propaganda.
- A rigorous study of the connections between cultural production, politics, and religion in a key historical period.
- A revealing reading of the conflicts and tensions that underlie the surface of imperial "greatness."
Technical specifications
- Author: Condor, Maria
- Publisher: Instituto Artes Escenicas y Musica
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Plays, theatrical texts, social and cultural history
- Collection: Historical essay, geography and history
- Publication date: May 2021
- Number of pages: 196
- Weight: 494 g
Editorial review
This work offers a solid and necessary contribution to the study of the Golden Age from a perspective that integrates cultural history and the analysis of power. Its critical approach, which unveils the contradictions of the period, makes it a valuable read both for specialists and for readers interested in understanding the complex relationship between art and politics. The clarity of the exposition and the documentary rigor make it accessible without sacrificing analytical depth.