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Golden Age
Spanish literature
Also known as: Siglo de Oro
Quick Facts
Golden Age, the period of Spanish literature extending from the early 16th century to the late 17th century, generally considered the high point in Spain’s literary history. The Golden Age began with the partial political unification of Spain about 1500. Its literature is characterized by patriotic and religious fervour, heightened realism, and a new interest in earlier epics and ballads, together with the somewhat less-pronounced influences of humanism and Neoplatonism. During the Golden Age such late medieval and early Renaissance forms as the chivalric and pastoral novels underwent their final flowering. They were replaced by the picaresque novel, which usually ...(100 of 317 words)