ABSTRACT

Focusing on Agudeza y arte de ingenio [Wit and the Art of Ingenuity] (1648) by Baltasar Gracián, the present chapter offers both a reading of agudeza (in the context of other theories but squarely focused on Gracián’s own treatise) and a discussion of a range of examples (poetry, prose, drama and art) to illustrate wit. In so doing, the chapter examines various aspects of the aesthetic often ignored by critics.