Life and Works of Miguel de Cervantes: A Deep Dive
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
Life
Born in Alcalá de Henares, Cervantes traveled to Italy at 22. A soldier who fought in the Battle of Lepanto, he suffered a crippling hand injury. Captured and held in Algiers for five years, upon returning to Spain, he worked as a tax collector. Accused of fraud, he served time in prison. Shortly after, he published the first part of Don Quixote (1605). Despite its success, his financial situation remained difficult. He died on April 23, 1616.
Work
Cervantes explored various literary genres, authoring twelve short stories (Exemplary Novels), a pastoral novel (La Galatea), ten plays, and eight interludes. At the end of his life, he published the Byzantine novel, The Travails of Persiles and Sigismunda. His enduring fame rests on The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.
Exemplary Novels (1613)
These twelve short stories, including Rinconete and Cortadillo, The Glass Graduate, and The Dialogue of the Dogs, aimed to educate readers.
17th Century Baroque
The Baroque period unfolded during the reign of the last Hapsburgs (Philip III, Philip IV, and Charles II), a time of decline for the Spanish Empire. Poor harvests, the expulsion of Moors and Jews, and a demographic crisis led to bankruptcy and widespread poverty. The Baroque reflects this pessimism, with a preoccupation with time. Antithesis and contrast are key elements, replacing harmony with an art that seeks to impress the senses.
Baroque Literature
Two trends distinguish Baroque lyricism:
- Conceptismo: Represented by Quevedo and Baltasar Gracián, this style emphasizes stylistic resources and complex syntax.
- Culteranismo: Associated with Góngora, this style features Latinized syntax, hyperbaton, learned words, and pure metaphors.
Don Quixote
Cervantes wrote Don Quixote to critique chivalric romances. The two parts were published in 1605 and 1615.
Plot Summary
Part I (1605)
Alonso Quijano, driven mad by reading chivalric novels, becomes a knight-errant, choosing Dulcinea as his beloved and Rocinante as his steed. He embarks on adventures, seeking knighthood. Returning home, he enlists Sancho Panza as his squire, promising him governorship of an island. The two experience disastrous adventures. Eventually, Don Quixote’s neighbors trick him into returning home. This part includes interpolated stories—pastoral, Byzantine, and Moorish tales.
Avellaneda’s Quixote
A spurious sequel appeared between the two parts.
Part II (1615)
Don Quixote begins his third journey. Sancho briefly governs an island but returns to his master. Don Quixote is defeated by the Knight of the White Moon (a neighbor) and returns home, where he recovers his sanity and dies. This part has only one interpolated episode (Camacho’s wedding), resulting in a more homogenous narrative.
Characters
Over seven hundred characters populate the novel. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are two of the most well-developed characters in literature.
- Don Quixote: Represents the wise fool. His madness diminishes throughout the novel, culminating in his return to sanity.
- Sancho Panza: A humble farmer, loyal to his master, with a sly wit and folk wisdom. He grounds Don Quixote’s delusions. Their relationship evolves into friendship, leading to Sancho’s “quixotization” and Don Quixote’s “sanchification.”
Style
Cervantes combines archaic language, parodying chivalric novels, with a plain, natural, and expressive style. He employs narrative perspectivism, presenting himself as the transcriber of a manuscript by the fictional historian Cide Hamete Benengeli.
Don Quixote and the Modern Novel
Don Quixote revolutionized literature, marking the beginning of the modern novel. Cervantes introduced innovations that shaped the genre’s evolution:
- Realism/Verisimilitude: Creates a world resembling reality, avoiding idealization.
- Unheroic Protagonist: Features characters with flaws and strengths, like real people.
- Individual vs. Society: Explores the conflict between desire and reality.
- Dialogic Narrative: Advances the plot through dialogue, which characterizes the speakers.