Secrets and Secrecy in Calderón's Comedies and in Spanish Golden Age Culture. Outline of a New Research Focus in Calderonian Studies

Abstract

The public enactment of secrecy is part of the Spanish Golden Age culture. This article presents a research project, which pursues three objectives: A study of secrecy as a core characteristic of Spanish Golden Age culture, on the basis of historiographical studies, sources and cultural theories of secrecy. A study of Calderonian comedies of secrecy in the context of Golden Age theatre. A case study of the comedy El secreto a voces , including a critical edition that also explores the aesthetics of secrecy and the history of early staging in Madrid and Vienna. With this threefold approach we aim at a deeper understanding of both Calderón’s originality and of the secret patterns of Baroque culture.