Article published in:
The Power of Satire
Edited by Marijke Meijer Drees and Sonja de Leeuw
[Topics in Humor Research 2] 2015
► pp. 235–246

On the power of Money and the King of Spain's son-in- law

Spanish Golden Age satire models on the internet

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?
Published online: 22 October 2015
https://doi.org/10.1075/thr.2.17rod
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