Cortes in Madrid, Spain — Southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula)
Leandro Fernández de Moratín
Moratin el Joven (Madrid, 1760 - París, 1828)
Hijo de Nicolás Fernández de Moratin, nació en una casa situada en la plazuela de San Juan, Si bien tuvo otros domicllos en Huertas y la calle del Fúcar. Se dio a conocer como poeta con el romance heroico La Toma de Granada por los Reyes Católicos. Amigo de Jovellanos y protegido de Godoy. Logró sus mejores éxitos en el campo teatral. Introdujo los moldes del teatro neoclásica con las tres unidades de tempo, lugar y acción y la finalidad morallizante. Entre sus comedias destacan El viejo y la niña, La comedia nueva o el café, El barón, La mojigata, y El sí de las niñas, esta última considerada su mejor obra, inscrita dentro de la corriente de comedia de salón dieciochesca. Su obra en prosa más conocida es La derrota de los pedantes. Amante de la cultura francesa, decidio dejar España y residir en Francia. En Burdeos conoció a Goya, quien hizo de é un magnífico retrato. La muerte le sorprendió en Paris.
Leandro Fernández de Moratin
Moratin the Younger (Madrid, 1760 - Paris, 1828)
Son of Nicolás Fernández de Moratin, he was born in a house located in the Plaza de San Juan, although he had other homes in Huertas and Calle del Fúcar. He became known as a poet with his heroic romance La Toma de Granada por los Reyes Católicos (“The Taking of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs”). He was a friend of Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos and protégé of Manuel Godoy. He achieved his greatest success in the theatrical field. He introduced the outlines of neoclassical theater with the three units of tempo, place and action, and the moralizing purpose. Among his comedies, El viejo y la niña (“The Old Man and the Young Girl”), La comedia nueva o el café (“The New Comedy or the Coffee”), El barón (“The Baron”), El Mojigata, and El sí de las niñas (“The Maidens’ Consent”) stand out, with the latter considered his best work, set within the currents of eighteenth-century salon comedy. His best-known prose work is La derrota de los pedantes (“The Defeat of the Pedants”). A lover of French culture, he decided to leave Spain and reside in France. In Bordeaux he met Goya, who made a magnificent portrait of him. Death took him without warning in Paris.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Arts, Letters, Music. A significant historical date for this entry is March 10, 1760.
Location. 40° 24.777′ N, 3° 41.731′ W. Marker is in Madrid. It is in Cortes. Marker is at the intersection of Calle de las Huertas and Calle de Jesús, on the left when traveling west on Calle de las Huertas. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Calle de las Huertas 72, Madrid 28014, Spain. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. José María Manresa Navarro (a few steps from this marker); Nicolás Fernández de Moratín (a few steps from this marker); Mariano José de Larra (Madrid, 1809-1837) (within shouting distance of this marker); León Felipe (within shouting distance of this marker); Luisa Carnés (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Félix Lope de Vega (Madrid, 1562 - 1635) (about 120 meters away); Sor Marcela de San Félix (about 150 meters away); Miguel Cervantes Saavedra (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Madrid.
Also see . . . Leandro Fernández de Moratín (Britannica).
Excerpt: The son of the poet and playwright Nicolás Fernández de Moratín, he was an apologist of the French Encyclopaedists, a translator of Molière and William Shakespeare, and a satirist of contemporary society. The two predominant themes of his plays are dramatic criticism, as seen in La comedia nueva (1792; “The New Comedy”), in which he satirizes the absurd characters and plots of the popular plays of the time, and attacks on excessive parental authority and marriages of convenience, as seen in El sí de las niñas (1806; The Maiden’s Consent). Because of political and ecclesiastical opposition to his French sympathies, he spent most of his life after 1814 in France, where he died; he was buried between his models Molière and Jean de La Fontaine, but his remains were later transferred to Madrid.(Submitted on December 13, 2023.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 13, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 175 times since then and 135 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 12, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2, 3. submitted on December 13, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.