The Motif of the Volcano in the Calderonian Imaginary: Some Notes for a Theory of Secrecy

Many Calderonian characters find difficult to keep a secret against the human tendency to complaints and release, as well as external pressures that influence their revelation. Among the many expressions referring to this struggle between contentio and overflow highlights in a special way the volcanic metaphor because of its proliferation, its dramatic strength and remarkable artificiality. This paper examines and classifies a representative number of passages which contain the image in order to glimpse its iconic, conceptual and emotional connections, related to Baroque society and the theoretical framework of secrecy.