On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law
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Yolanda Rodríguez Pérez
Abstract
The greatest Spanish satirist lived in the Golden Age: Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas (1580–1645). His satirical poetry has become national common knowledge for most Spaniards. The power of his satire is such that it has been able to cross temporal borders and still serves in the 21st century as a model of inspiration for popular contemporary satire. A telling example is related to the recent scandal around the King of Spain’s son-in-law, who was involved in a shameful corruption case. Through new medial forms like the internet, satirical non-canonical poems spread with the Royal son-in-law as a target. Some of the poems, written with a Golden-Age flair, are also accompanied by visual satirical images that also go back to well-known Golden Age paintings, for example by El Greco. This particular case shows how far the reach of satire as a social phenomenon can be. Although the strong and specific referentiality of satire is frequently mentioned as its weak point, it is interesting to see how certain “timeless” examples of satire can function as source of inspiration in another period. Is there an explanation for this attraction to the Golden Age period?
Abstract
The greatest Spanish satirist lived in the Golden Age: Francisco de Quevedo y Villegas (1580–1645). His satirical poetry has become national common knowledge for most Spaniards. The power of his satire is such that it has been able to cross temporal borders and still serves in the 21st century as a model of inspiration for popular contemporary satire. A telling example is related to the recent scandal around the King of Spain’s son-in-law, who was involved in a shameful corruption case. Through new medial forms like the internet, satirical non-canonical poems spread with the Royal son-in-law as a target. Some of the poems, written with a Golden-Age flair, are also accompanied by visual satirical images that also go back to well-known Golden Age paintings, for example by El Greco. This particular case shows how far the reach of satire as a social phenomenon can be. Although the strong and specific referentiality of satire is frequently mentioned as its weak point, it is interesting to see how certain “timeless” examples of satire can function as source of inspiration in another period. Is there an explanation for this attraction to the Golden Age period?
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- About the contributors ix
- Introduction 1
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Mapping the Field
- Satire and dignity 19
- The Authenticity of Play 33
- Cultural Flow 47
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Space
- Reshaping the Border Zone. An Approach to Satirical Space 61
- Mediating satire 71
- Arab Sitcom Animations as Platforms for Satire 81
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Target
- Contesting Political Boundaries in Contemporary Moroccan Satire 95
- How to Burlesque a Burlesquer 105
- Who is the ape, who the human? Reize door het Aapenland (1788) and Die Affenkönige oder die Reformation des Affenlandes (1789) considered 135
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Rhetoric
- Looking backward. The rhetoric of the back in visual satire 147
- "A bull is a ludicrous jest": fable and the satiric bite in Arbuthnot's John Bull pamphlets 175
- Bas Jan Ader's Ludic Conceptualism 185
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Media
- Absolutely Fabulous 197
- TV Satire and its Targets 207
- Enlightenment Subverted 217
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Time
- On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law 235
- Who are the Frogs? The Transmigration of a Symbol of Nationality 247
- Hydropathe Caricature 259
- Conclusions 269
- Index 275
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- About the contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Mapping the Field
- Satire and dignity 19
- The Authenticity of Play 33
- Cultural Flow 47
-
Space
- Reshaping the Border Zone. An Approach to Satirical Space 61
- Mediating satire 71
- Arab Sitcom Animations as Platforms for Satire 81
-
Target
- Contesting Political Boundaries in Contemporary Moroccan Satire 95
- How to Burlesque a Burlesquer 105
- Who is the ape, who the human? Reize door het Aapenland (1788) and Die Affenkönige oder die Reformation des Affenlandes (1789) considered 135
-
Rhetoric
- Looking backward. The rhetoric of the back in visual satire 147
- "A bull is a ludicrous jest": fable and the satiric bite in Arbuthnot's John Bull pamphlets 175
- Bas Jan Ader's Ludic Conceptualism 185
-
Media
- Absolutely Fabulous 197
- TV Satire and its Targets 207
- Enlightenment Subverted 217
-
Time
- On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law 235
- Who are the Frogs? The Transmigration of a Symbol of Nationality 247
- Hydropathe Caricature 259
- Conclusions 269
- Index 275
