Conflicts of Dramatic Genre and Literary Reception in Calderon’s El Purgatorio de san Patricio

Abstract

This paper reviews the complex relations of gender and reception in a calderonian early comedy, attached to the hagiographic genre, El purgatorio de san Patricio. The peculiarities of gender and reception, which have crystallized in a less than benevolent criticism, have their origin in the intermediate position of this comedy between the gender of the sacramental play and the guidelines of the profane comedy established by Lope. The analysis of these characteristics determines well the structure and the meaning of the play.