Amantes náufragos en el mar de la corte: la visión antiáulica del amor en la obra de Cristóbal de Castillejo

Abstract

The literary production of Cristóbal de Castillejo includes an important re-elaboration of the metaphor known as «the castaway lover» belonging to the mare malorum literary trend, which in turn, belongs to the anti-court satire subgenre, which the author from Salamanca mastered. This study analyzes the treatment and inversion of this classic topos as a way to denounce and satirize some of the most scandalous vices of the court, namely, its mutability, its hypocrisy, or the lack of recognition of personal merits. In his works, Castillejo cunningly and comically develops the double metaphor love-sea which includes some of the most recurrent motifs of the anti-courtesan literature such as the storm, the shipwreck, or the flooded boat. These motifs are related to the ancient topic known as aegritudo amoris as a projection of the numerous ails affecting the members of the court. This association is used as the basis of his denunciation which likens the risks and perils of the love adventure to the court. These two issues are compared to an improvised and reckless navigation by means of an original contribution to the genre and a twist to the well-known opposition Court-Village.