Cervantes, Don Quixote & Spanish Baroque Literature
Topic 8: Discussion Forums & Cervantes
Discussion Forums
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Cervantes’ Works
Poetry: He wrote Viaje del Parnaso.
Theater: His theatrical work has two stages:
- First Stage: Followed classical precepts and rules. Works include the tragedies La Numancia and Los tratos de Argel.
- Second Stage: Wrote eight plays (comedias) and eight interludes (entremeses), which were never performed during his lifetime.
Novels: La Galatea, Novelas ejemplares, Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda.
Don Quixote Analysis
The main characters are not heroes but representations of real-life people with contrasting personalities:
- Don Quixote: Alonso Quijano, a poor country gentleman, idealistic and bookish. Driven mad by reading too many chivalric novels, he believes himself to be a knight-errant.
- Sancho Panza: Don Quixote’s squire, a farmer from La Mancha. He is realistic, self-interested, and ignorant, yet possesses a rustic, natural wit.
Through their conversations, adventures, and shared experiences, both characters undergo a transformation. Their personalities are modified as the narrative progresses due to their mutual influence.
Don Quixote: Context & Techniques
The novel is set within the reality of its time. Besides the adventures, Don Quixote tells the story of a friendship and offers a reflection on the defense of ideals.
Technical Resources:
- Cervantes uses metafiction, pretending not to be the original author but merely a transcriber of a found manuscript.
- Dialogue is employed effectively to reveal the true nature of the characters.
- Humor arises from the clash of personalities and the succession of wacky adventures.
Topic 9: Exposition & The Baroque
Exposition Definition
Exposition is a type of text that presents content as an explanation of a topic. Expositions can be specialized (aimed at experts) or informative (divulgatorio, aimed at a general audience).
The Spanish Baroque Period
The Baroque is the cultural movement that reflects the political, economic, social, and military decline experienced by Spain in the 17th century.
Baroque Society & Economy
There was a deep crisis due to the financing of wars, court expenses, and the reduction of gold and silver imports, leading to several state bankruptcies. Differences between social groups intensified:
- Nobility: Immersed in luxury and waste, they increased their privileges.
- Common People: Faced increasing difficulties and migrated to cities, where poverty and the number of beggars grew.
- Bourgeoisie: Barely existed as a class. Those who achieved some economic power often bought land to gain social status, mimicking the nobility.
Baroque Ideology
Pessimism and disillusionment deepened during this period.
Baroque Classical Theater (Comedia Nueva)
The characteristic theater venue of the Baroque period was the corral de comedias.
National Comedy (Comedia Nueva) Techniques
- Plays are divided into three acts (jornadas).
- Tragic and comic elements are blended.
- Classical unities of time, place, and action are often disregarded; includes jumps in time, changes of location, and parallel plots.
- Plays are written in verse, often employing varied meter (polimetría).
National Comedy Themes
- Love
- Honor (honra)
- Religion
- Plots drawn from history and mythology
Typical Characters in Comedia Nueva
- Protagonists: The gallant (galán) and the lady (dama).
- Authority Figure: The father or brother, responsible for defending the family honor.
- Funny Servant: The gracioso, providing comic relief.
- Powerful Figure: Often a noble antagonist.
- King: Represents ultimate justice.
Features of the Picaresque Novel
- The narrative is presented in the first person, often as a form of memoir or autobiography.
- The protagonist (pícaro) is of miserable origins and comes from a marginal world.
- The pícaro serves various masters, experiencing different strata of society.
- The character aspires to improve their social standing (medrar).
- Features realism and social satire.