While there are a number of important critical pedagogies being proposed in the field of foreign language study, more attention should be given to providing concrete examples of how to apply these ideas in the classroom. This article offers a new approach to the textual analysis of literary classics through the keyword-based methodology originally developed by cultural historian Raymond Williams. The article describes Williams's theory and details its specific application and efficacy in undergraduate Golden Age Spanish literature classes. The study shows that the keyword method supported students' active engagement with the classics through a multilayered analysis of the linguistic, literary, and sociocultural features of the works.