Golden age: what it is, characteristics, works and authors

What is the Golden Age?

Siglo de Oro is the name of a historical and cultural period that took place in Spain, and which was characterized by the rise of the arts, especially literature.

Although there is no specific start and end date for this period, it is considered that the Golden Age began in 1492, the year of publication of Castilian Grammar, Antonio de Nebrija and the Discovery of America.

For its part, it is agreed that its completion occurred in 1681 with the death of Pedro Calderón de la Barca, one of the most outstanding and prolific authors of this period.

Although this era covers much more than a hundred years, it was called the Golden Age in allusion to a poem called The Works and the Days , by the Greek author Hesiod. There, the “golden age” is compared with that of the most flourishing in all the arts and knowledge.

Characteristics of the Golden Age

The Spanish Golden Age was a period of intense artistic, intellectual and scientific creation. In this sense, these are some of its characteristics:

Periods

The Spanish Golden Age had two decisive moments with its own aesthetic guidelines:

• Spanish Renaissance: It began in the 15th century and was characterized by making a reinterpretation of the Italian Renaissance. Spanish Baroque: it began in the 17th century and was a period of abundance and aesthetic exaggeration, which was especially reflected in literature.

Arts

Although the Golden Age is usually related to literature due to the universal legacy of its most outstanding authors, the reality is that this period also implied a flourishing in other artistic expressions such as architecture, painting and theater.

Science

The discovery of the New World brought with it the discovery of plant and animal species. This fueled development in scientific areas such as biology, pharmacology, and medicine.

Education

The Golden Age was also a prolific time for the academy. It was in this period that the University of Salamanca became the most important educational center, not only in Spain, but in Europe.

There the so-called School of Salamanca emerged: an intellectual and academic movement led by professors from that university whose contributions were essential for the development of economic sciences, law and theology.

See also:

• Renaissance Artistic currents.

Golden Age works and most representative authors

One of the most important and universal legacies of the Spanish Golden Age resides in its literature, characterized by a “vulgarization” or approach to the masses. Other features were the abundance of themes, characters and content, which would later become known as "baroque".

In this sense, these are some of the most representative works of the Golden Age together with their respective authors:

• Don Quixote , by Miguel de Cervantes (published in 1605). Way of perfection , by Santa Teresa de Jesús (published in 1567). Don Gil de las calzas verde s, by Tirso de Molina (published in 1615). Fable of Píramo y Tisbe , by Luis Góngora (published in 1618). Spiritual Canticle , Saint John of the Cross (published in 1578). Dreams and discourses , by Francisco de Quevedo (published in 1627). Life is a dream , by Pedro Calderón de la Barca (play premiered in 1635). Fuenteovejuna , by Lope de Vega (published in 1614).

The proliferation of literary genres as varied as the mystical poetry of Santa Teresa de Jesús or Cervantes's novel of chivalry expanded not only the cultural options available, but also its audience.

In addition, the creation of the printing press in 1440 was a turning point in access to knowledge, since it allowed the creation and distribution of written texts to be progressively massified.

See also Baroque literature.