Luis de Góngora y Argote

9.9

A Spanish poet who wrote ornate, complex poems that influenced 17th century literature

proper noun

: Luis de Góngora y Argote

The elaborate verse of Luis de Góngora y Argote set a new standard for poetic complexity in the 17th century.

Examples

Did you know that Luis de Góngora y Argote was a key figure in the Baroque movement?
Scholars continue to debate the influence of Luis de Góngora y Argote on modern Spanish literature.
Luis de Góngora y Argote was a central figure in the Spanish literary movement known as Culteranismo.
The works of Luis de Góngora y Argote are celebrated for their complexity.
Luis de Góngora y Argote was a leading voice in the Baroque era, known for his elaborate poetic style.
Many consider Luis de Góngora y Argote a master of metaphor and wordplay in Spanish poetry.
The innovative works of Luis de Góngora y Argote remain influential in literary studies today.

Surface Forms

Luis de Góngora y Argote main

Morphology

Luis + de + Góngora + y + Argote

This item is a proper name (a Spanish personal name) whose meaning is referential rather than compositional; knowing the parts ('Luis', 'de', 'Góngora', 'y', 'Argote') does not let a B1 learner infer the referent is a historical poet or his biographical significance. Although function words like 'de' and 'y' may be recognizable, they do not make the overall expression semantically predictable, so the phrase is non-compositional for learners.

Etymology

Luis de Góngora y Argote was a famous Spanish poet from the 1600s who wrote very rich, image-filled, and complicated poems. Because his lines used strange images, long sentences, and fancy words, his name now stands for that kind of 'complex, decorative poetry'.