Félix Lope de Vega (1562-1635) was a key figure of Golden Age Spanish literature, second only in stature to Cervantes, and is considered the founder of Spain's classical theater. In this rich and informative study, Javier Lorenzo investigates the symbolic use of space in Lope's drama, and its function as an ideological tool to promote an imagined Spanish national past.
Space, Drama, and Empire examines the role that space played as a vehicle to imperialize Spain’s history in Lope de Vega’s theater. Lope’s national history plays, this book argues, used the landscapes and settings of the past to foretell and legitimize Spain’s imperial present and to “map” or plot its expansionist trajectory throughout the centuries.
