Castellví Laukamp, Luis. Hispanic Baroque Ekphrasis: Góngora, Camargo, Sor Juana

Abstract

Luis Castellví Laukamp’s monograph Hispanic Baroque Ekphrasis analyses the influence of Luis de Góngora (1561–1627) on the writings of two prominent viceregal authors within New Spain: Hernando Domínguez Camargo (1606–1659) and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695). By comparing the poets’ shared use of ekphrasis within their works, Castellví Laukamp demonstrates how Camargo and Sor Juana’s adoption of this classical literary device was not a mere imitation of Góngora’s style, but rather the development of a new poetic culture within colonial Latin America. Divided into three parts, the book begins with an analysis of passages taken from the first two of Góngora’s Soledades, in which Castellví Laukamp explores how the Spanish poet’s use of ekphrasis brings the pastoral and piscatorial scenes depicted to life. His detailed textual analysis offers an absorbing explanation of Góngora’s imagery, while also making accessible a body of work that has long challenged readers. Castellví Laukamp’s decision to dedicate the first part of his study to Góngora allows for him to then devote his full attention to Camargo and Sor Juana’s work, without having to repeatedly return to the examples taken from Góngora.