Miguel de Cervantes: Life, Works, and Literary Contributions
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616)
Born in Alcalá de Henares, Miguel de Cervantes studied in Seville. In 1569, he traveled to Italy and participated in military campaigns. At the Battle of Lepanto, he was wounded in his left hand. In 1575, he headed back to Spain and was captured by Barbary pirates. After five years of captivity in Algiers, he was rescued and was able to return. Installed in Madrid, he began his life as a writer. It is known that he swept Andalusia, where he served as commissioner of supplies and after-tax collector. Complications with the money raised led to his imprisonment in Seville. He reappeared in Valladolid in 1604 and two years later he returned to Madrid. He died in Madrid on April 23, 1616. Formed in the Renaissance tradition, his narrative production emerged in this context.
La Galatea
Published in 1585, La Galatea is a pastoral novel whose theme is love. The basic argument is simple and is located in a confined space and in a very short time: the love of the pastors Erastro and Elicio for Galatea, on the banks of the Tagus river for ten days. In this narrative scheme are added several elements: interpolated stories, poems, and debates. It is an unfinished novel, with stories including the main unresolved. It is a praise to Garcilaso de la Vega.
Exemplary Novels
In 1613, Cervantes published a collection of twelve stories. The exemplary novels are realists and idealists, critical and conformist, mocking and serious, and incorporate other styles of narrative models of the era and folk materials. It is a short story on the model set by Italian authors, using their own characters and stories.
Features:
- They lack a common framework.
- They have a variety of narrative modes and great complexity.
- They tell a story of love, friendship is also present.
Works:
The Gypsy Girl, The Lover Liberal, Rinconete y Cortadillo, The Spanish English, Mr. Glazed, The Strength of the Blood, The Jealous of Extremadura, The Illustrious Maid.
Rinconete y Cortadillo
One of the most important novels, its relationship with the picaresque genre has been emphasized. The book is divided into two parts: the presentation and the picaresque adventures of the two protagonists. The young stay in the courtyard of Monipodio. It is presided over by joy and humor and excels in box habits. The dialogue plays an important role: it serves to characterize the characters and is the main source of comedy. It stresses the jargon of criminals.
Argument:
Pedro Diego Rincon and Cortado become friends and go to Seville. The guys who have chosen a picaresque life survive by cheating at cards and stealing. After a few thefts, they contact organized crime in Seville. The group has its own rules. Monipodio, rustic evil and boastful man, baptizes them with the names of Rinconete y Cortadillo and accepted as a member of the guild, where they spend a few months.
The Works of Persiles and Sigismunda
This is a Byzantine novel. The protagonists, Persiles and Sigismunda, a young couple and noble lovers, made a long journey through northern Europe, Spain, and Italy. In the journey, they face many dangers that are evidence of the emerging airy, well you can end your marriage, in which virtue is rewarded.