Counter-Reformation politics and the Inquisition in the works of Fray Luis de Leon

Abstract

Fray Luis de Leon was incarcerated for nearly five years by the Spanish Inquisition, on the basis of charges brought against him by antagonistic colleagues who disagreed with his scholarly approach. Through a systematic consideration of his writings in light of the sociohistorical climate that gave rise to disputes between him and his detractors, it is evident that a number of themes run through Fray Luis' prose production which can be related directly to his experience as an inmate in the Inquisition's cells. These topoi, found throughout the Salmantine friar's prose, are present also in his poetry. Therefore, by analyzing those prose passages that have a direct bearing on his trial before the Inquisition and by relating those passages to his poetry, we shall gain access to unique avenues of interpretation. The results will offer new insights into Fray Luis' poetry that are not readily apparent through other methods of analysis. This study will afford us an opportunity to see Fray Luis and his works in great detail from a perspective that has not yet been explored.