Early Modern Spanish Literature

Early Modern Spanish Literature examines the texts, ideas, and cultural forces that shaped the Iberian Peninsula and its colonies during the fifteenth through seventeenth centuries, a period when Spain's literary output—from the plays of Lope de Vega to the novels of Cervantes—emerged alongside violent contests over religious belonging enforced by the Inquisition. Scholars in this area trace how conversos, Moriscos, and Old Christians negotiated identity under institutional pressure, and how those negotiations left marks on poetry, theater, prose fiction, and devotional writing alike. The field also looks outward, tracking how classical models and Iberian forms traveled to the Americas and transformed when they met new audiences and circumstances. Active questions include how gender shaped literary authority for women writers working within or against Counter-Reformation constraints, and how the visual arts and literature reinforced or quietly undermined each other's representations of power and piety.

Works

133,779

Total citations

116,359

Keywords

Golden Age SpainLiteratureCultureReligious IdentityVisual ArtsInquisition