What Does Golden age Mean
A century is a period of time that spans one hundred years. The gold , meanwhile, is a precious metal of great value.
If we take these two definitions literally, the expression golden age is meaningless. However, the phrase acquires relevance for its symbolic meaning. A golden age is, in this way, a temporary period in which art , science or other discipline has reached an important development.
For example: "We are living the golden age of the telecommunications industry" , "The golden age of Italian art is long gone" , "This poet is one of the greatest exponents of the golden age" .
Importantly, a golden age does not exactly span one hundred years . It is a concept that allows grouping various events and personalities, without an exact or precise time limit.
The usual thing is that the idea of the golden age refers to the splendor of Spanish culture that was lived between the 16th century (the Renaissance ) and the 17th century (the Baroque ). Some experts place the birth of this golden age (or Golden Age , with initial uppercase to refer to the name of this particular period) in the edition of "Spanish Grammar" of Antonio de Nebrija , which took place in 1492 , and end of the period in 1681 , when Pedro Calderón de la Barca died .
In the Spanish Golden Age, therefore, Garcilaso de la Vega , Miguel de Cervantes , Lope de Vega , Francisco de Quevedo , Luis de Góngora and other authors who today are considered classics of universal literature lived together .
During the Golden Age, in Spain there was a unique combination of literary and aesthetic genres that distinguished the works produced at that time from the rest, to the point of becoming a source of inspiration for many of the writers from all over the world. This strong influence of authors such as those mentioned in the previous paragraph extends even to the present day.
The development of a popularizing and realistic aesthetic stands out , continuing with the trend that had emerged in the Middle Ages of the peninsula, opposed to the noble, chivalrous and excessive idealism typical of the Renaissance.
Some of the genres born in the Spanish Golden Age, all considered naturalistic, are the following: the picaresque novel (with exponents such as " Guzmán de Alfarache ", " Lazarillo de Tormes " and " The life and facts of Estebanillo González "), the celestinesco (" Segunda Celestina " and " Tragicomedia de Calisto y Melibea ") and the modern polyphonic novel (with the mythical " Don Quixote de la Mancha ").
It can be said that one of the features of the Spanish Golden Age was an anti-classical trend, and this can also be seen in the new comedy , by Lope de Vega, which he published through an essay in verse entitled « Arte nuevo de make comedies in this time ', published in the early seventeenth century. Other names of great influence were Tirso de Molina, Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, Antonio Mira de Amescua, Juan Pérez de Montalbán, Luis Vélez de Guevara and Guillén de Castro.
Lope de Vega was one of the most outstanding figures of the Golden Age; Miguel de Cervantes himself referred to him as a "monster of nature", and he was also known as "the Fénix de los Ingenios". Among the reasons for such nicknames his legacy is immense, including novels, collections of poetry humorous, religious and secular, narrative and epic poems, and plays.
Chronicle arose in prose , as a result of the conquest of America, and some of the prominent authors in this genre were Garcilaso de la Vega, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas, Antonio de Solís and Bernal Días del Castillo.