Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Jorge Checa (University of California, Santa Barbara)

Ed. by Stuart Green, University of Leeds
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.6.2.01: Spanish Literature and Culture from the Beginning to the Golden Age.
Vol. editors: Andrew M. Beresford (University of Durham), Stuart Green (University of Leeds), Juan Pablo Rodriguez (Yale University), Duncan Wheeler (University of Leeds)

Dates

Born 17 Jan 1600
Died 25 May 1681
Activity 1620-1681

Places

Born in Spain
Active in Spain

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist

Resources

Calderón de la Barca's Works

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The revolution in Spanish dramatic literature led by Lope de Vega (1562-1635) culminated with Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681). Calderón’s career developed in three different theatrical spaces, each subject to specific artistic conventions and staging conditions. First was the commercial public theater, aimed at the socially heterogeneous audiences that packed the

corrales de comedias

—urban yards adapted for dramatic representations. Secondly, and in contrast to the material limitations of the

corrales

, the royal court gave rise to dazzling and costly spectacles displaying the awesome power of the King and his family circle. The third space was associated with the local institutions and state authorities responsible for the production of the religious plays known as

autos

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2534 words

Citation: Checa, Jorge. "Pedro Calderón de la Barca". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 March 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=695, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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