The Irony of Music
Subject Area
Spanish Peninsular Studies
Abstract
Several historians and critics, including José Antonio Maravall, have observed the general disdain held for the lower classes of society during the Spanish Golden Age, manifested oftentimes as a lack of intelligence of or inappropriate comments from these characters. Many plays of the time also include cancioneros and choruses to further the plot, inspire the story, or explain what has just transpired. The grand irony of this device is that it is usually the lower classes that provide these verses. Even though they are clearly considered to be at the bottom of the societal pyramid, they play fundamental roles in many plots. In this paper, we will examine El caballero de Olmedo by Lope de Vega, and Don Duardos by Gil Vicente. Spanning an entire century, these two works bring together the uncouth lower class and their juxtaposed verse. We will attempt to explain this irony as a feature of the subtle criticisms undertaken by the aforementioned playwrights in regards to the societies each represents.
Brief Bio Note
Adrianne Woods is a PhD student at the University of South Carolina. She holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Charleston Southern University. Her Master's thesis focused on the drama of the later Golden Age, analyzing works by Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, and María de Zayas. Her dissertation is focused on a comparison of Renaissance and Baroque Spanish drama.
Keywords
Golden Age, Theatre, Lope de Vega, Gil Vicente, Cancioneros, Music
Location
Coastal Georgia Center
Presentation Year
2016
Start Date
4-7-2016 5:20 PM
End Date
4-7-2016 5:40 PM
Embargo
11-2-2015
Recommended Citation
Woods, Adrianne, "The Irony of Music" (2016). South East Coastal Conference on Languages & Literatures (SECCLL). 92.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/seccll/2016/2016/92
The Irony of Music
Coastal Georgia Center
Several historians and critics, including José Antonio Maravall, have observed the general disdain held for the lower classes of society during the Spanish Golden Age, manifested oftentimes as a lack of intelligence of or inappropriate comments from these characters. Many plays of the time also include cancioneros and choruses to further the plot, inspire the story, or explain what has just transpired. The grand irony of this device is that it is usually the lower classes that provide these verses. Even though they are clearly considered to be at the bottom of the societal pyramid, they play fundamental roles in many plots. In this paper, we will examine El caballero de Olmedo by Lope de Vega, and Don Duardos by Gil Vicente. Spanning an entire century, these two works bring together the uncouth lower class and their juxtaposed verse. We will attempt to explain this irony as a feature of the subtle criticisms undertaken by the aforementioned playwrights in regards to the societies each represents.
