Luis De Góngora Research Paper

Spanish Literature
Spanish literature has many genres and periods that make history. Mysticism, reform and modernity are to name only a few. Several literatures have come from all around Latin America and these have resulted in years before the time of the printing press. Although the best-known Spanish literature was Spain, there are novels, poems, short stories etc that has come from countries such as Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba etc. Who is Luis de Góngora? One of the most prominent literatures author and Spanish poet Luis de Góngora comes from his beginning to find his voice. His objective was aesthetic; aesthetics is based on the concept of beauty or the appreciation of beauty.
Luis de Góngora was born on July 11, 1561 in Córdoba, Spain. He was born Francisco de Argote, later change to Leonor de Góngora (Mujica). He began to cultivate his art at an early age and became a celebrity in his home country. When he was 15, he entered the University of Salamanca and in 1605 he was ordained priest. As he matured and continued writing, many people admired his works and some thought that his work was "a corruption of good taste" (Mujica). Throughout his writings, he was praised by many authors such as Miguel de
Cervantes and criticized by some, such as Francisco de Quevedo.
Luis de Góngora uses his style to make his larger than life writings.
His was a famous style of Córdoba, which was used to capture the sensations. "Poetry of the sierra de Góngora as intellectual activity." "Most of his works are complex, challenging the strict definitions of literary genres and styles." (Novice Guides). He used personification, allegories and hyperboles etc to present topics in his sonnets and poems. The majority of Góngora's works were written in sonnet form. His sonnets allowed him to free up space on a lot of meaning in a verse condensed (Mujica). Topics that are most popular with Góngora are the subject of beauty and ugliness and the theme of carpe diem, which uses various literary reasons for presenting the issues in the
sonnets.
Many of Góngora's writings were published and acknowledged in the 1600's during the Baroque period (cite). The sonnet presents literary motifs of personification, imagery, and just a position Góngora complete theme of carpe diem. Aesthetics play a large part in this sonnet because it glorifies and appreciates beauty and gives regard to the theme of carpe diem with the emphasis on "seizing the beauty before it is gone" (cite). The carpe diem theme in sonnet delivers a message of beauty and decay. It is about taking advantage of one's beauty before old age comes to take it away. This is an example used by Góngora of his theme of carpe diem.
Lastly, Góngora used literary motif throughout the sonnet and two descriptions are contrasted in order to present the theme of carpe diem, to seize the beauty before it is gone and turns to nothingness (cite). Góngora then returns to the use of colors in comparing the transformation from young beauty to old age; Góngora makes mythological references to aid in his use of imagery. Using colors in this sonnet also aids imagery. Luis de Góngora, writer of poems, poets, ballads, sonnets, and originator was called the complex style of poetry. Most of his works were found, titled, and published after his death and because of this he is said to be the "Spanish Homer" of his time. Góngora exemplified themes in areas of young beauty to old age and the famous theme of carpe diem. His sonnets were written to embody the elements of nature in comparison with youthful and aging human qualities making him a gifted writer.