Computational Analysis of Gender Depiction in the Comedias of Calder\'on de la Barca

In Spain, the Baroque period, was a period of immense artistic creativity, genereally known as the "Golden Age" (siglo de oro). This is particularly true in literature, where the period saw exceptional writers such as Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina or Pedro Calderón de la Barca. The latter, who lived from 1600 to 1681, is generally considered as as one of the most important playwrights of the age. He was immensely productive, writing a total of over 200 theatrical plays, both secular and religious, which had a lasting impact on Spanish theatre and beyond [17]. He is particularly known for detailed and complex characterizations in his works [46]. Not surprisingly, Calderón's writings have been subject to intense analysis by literary scholars over a long period of time, and topics have moved in and out of fashion. For example, traditional foci of scholarship have been the role of honor and power in the works [19] or Calderón's attention to dramatic structure [43]. A relatively new aspect among these is gender depiction, that is, the question of how Calderón conceptualized male and female roles in his plays differently, which has gained global attention in Hispanic Studies since the latter half of the 20th century ([2, 32, 39]).