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?