Law, literature and political philosophy in the Spanish golden age : a reflection on power

This collection of articles, thoroughly documented, analyses particular aspects of the Spanish 16th and 17th centuries. It discusses a range of topics, including the Catholic reason of state, anti-Machiavellianism, and royal power and its limits, from the point of view of Golden Age authors. This is a work where literature, law theory and political philosophy combine their efforts to offer an unusual portrait of power in Spanish society during a time of deep change. Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Part One 1 Law and Literature: Power and its Limits in Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Theatre Plays 2 Machiavelli and the Reason of State in Two Stage Plays by Calderón de la Barca 3 Reason and Passion in Legal Discourse 4 Èmile Durkheim’s Sociology in M.A.K. Halliday’s Language as Social Semiotic Part Two 5 Niccolò Machiavelli in the Political Thought of the Spanish Golden Century 6 Religion and Machiavelli’s Philosophy 7 Saavedra Fajardo in Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s Allegorical Neptune: Two Concepts of Power 8 The Staging of Power in Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Theatre Plays 9 Medieval Tradition and Modern Political Realism in Calderón de la Barca’s Theatre Plays 10 Catholic Reason of State and Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Stage Plays 11 Political Persuasion and Religious Indoctrination in Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s Theatre Plays Bibliography