Ignacio Arellano-Torres
Birutė Ciplijauskaitė Fellow in Peninsular Spanish Literature and Culture (2025–2026)
Assistant Professor, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Adelphi University
Self-Representation and Burlesque Portraiture in Golden Age Spanish Poetry: A Study of Identity, Irony, and Social Commentary
This project examines burlesque self-portraiture in Spanish Golden Age poetry, focusing on how poets like Francisco de Quevedo and Luis de Góngora used exaggerated flaws and self-mockery to challenge societal norms of beauty and status. Unlike Renaissance idealized self-portraits, these works served as a form of resistance and identity formation. The study fills a gap in Golden Age scholarship by analyzing burlesque self-portraits as distinct from broader satire and parody. It also draws connections to modern selfie culture, exploring how self-deprecation and humor in both eras allow individuals to navigate societal pressures on beauty and identity.
Ignacio Arellano-Torres earned his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2020 and currently serves as Assistant Professor of Spanish at Adelphi University. His research focuses on early modern literature and culture, particularly the representation of space, travel, and individual experience across genres such as prose fiction, theater, poetry, and visual media. Among other venues, he has published in Hispania, Romance Notes, Anales Cervantinos, Cervantes, and RILCE. His work has been supported by fellowships from the Harry Ransom Center, the National Sporting Library & Museum, and the Northeast Modern Language Association.
Ignacio has also written on visual strategies in literature, Latin-American cinema, and intercultural competence in language pedagogy. At Adelphi, he coordinates Spanish I–IV and oversees the language placement exam. He mentors a diverse student body, including heritage and non-traditional learners, and has maintained a strong commitment to inclusive and research-informed teaching.
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