Terminological Problems
“Baroque” is a fascinating and yet highly controversial term with as many applications as qualifications in European arts and letters. Viewed from a classicist perspective of order and harmony, it designates a specific style in architecture, sculpture, painting, music, and also literature characterized by extravagance, capricious and irregular shapes. When this ornate style with its dramatic effect became the dominant mode, art critics referred to the “Age or Epoch of Baroque” to distinguish it from the preceding Renaissance and the subsequent Enlightenment. But despite serious scholarly endeavors since the 1850s, the terminology and the time-span referred to as “baroque” have remained fluid. For instance, the Shorter Oxford Dictionary (OED) contributes
4937 words
Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "Baroque". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 January 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=98, accessed 23 April 2024.]
