Don Quixote: Analysis of Cervantes’ Masterpiece
Don Quixote: Cervantes’ Enduring Legacy
Don Quixote, in two parts: Part One: The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605). Part Two: The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha (1615). In 1614, Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda published an apocryphal Part 2: Second volume of The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. Cervantes addressed this continuation in his true second part.
Sources and Influences
- The farce of the Romances: The farmer Bartolo goes mad reading romances.
- Novels of
Renaissance Literature: Key Figures and Characteristics
Renaissance Literature: Characteristics and Key Figures
General Characteristics of the Renaissance
- Exaltation of the Classical World: Recovery of Greco-Roman culture (mythology, classical canon of beauty, proportion, balance, naturally).
- Anthropocentrism and Individualism: Sense of security and self-assertion. Man is the greatest achievement of creation, above nature.
- Nature: Critical and rational look toward nature.
- Religious Spirit: Counter-Reformation and new approaches emerge to renew the religious
Greek Influence on Roman Culture: Conquest and Legacy
Greek Influence on Roman Culture
The southern Italian peninsula and Sicily were colonized by the Greeks, who designated one of these territories Magna Graeca. Its cultural influence was enormous in all fields of knowledge and art. Starting with a “loan” from its script, which gave rise to the Etruscan alphabet, and indirectly through contacts with primitive Roman civilization, it also led to the Latin (or Roman) alphabet, which we use today.
The Subjection of Greece
Greek contact with the world grew
Read MoreAncient Iberia: Settlers, Colonizers, and Roman Conquest
The First Settlers: Iberia
The first settlers in Iberia arrived centuries before Christ. Various tribes from North Africa inhabited the small state, engaging in farming, grazing, and metalworking. Their cultures differed; those in contact with the coast were influenced by the Phoenicians and Greeks, developing advanced civilizations, while others lagged behind. They worshipped stars and spirits.
Tartessians
The Tartessians, of unknown origin, lived in the southern part of the peninsula. Around 500
Read MoreMiguel de Cervantes: Life, Works, and Literary Impact
Miguel de Cervantes: A Literary Overview
2.1. Life of Cervantes: Born in 1547 in Alcala de Henares, into a family with possible Jewish origins. His life was marked by significant events:
- 1570: Traveled to Italy.
- Involved in the Battle of Lepanto.
- 1575: Captured and taken to Algiers.
- Rescued and returned to Spain, later writing La Galatea (1585).
- Faced financial difficulties, leading him to write plays.
- Experienced excommunication and imprisonment. During his final imprisonment in Seville, he began writing
Golden Age Spanish Literature: Baroque Era Insights
Baroque Mentality and Spanish Golden Age Literature
Baroque mentality describes a society that distrusts itself and is very concerned about politics, economics, and social norms. It covers topics such as heartbreak, life as a dream, and Stoic philosophy. It separates party-loving societies and luxury in which he is well aware of the issue of honor. It was a period of conservatism and caution on the liberty of expression, in consequence of the Counter-Reformation. The Baroque stresses the artificial,
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