Cervantes: Life, Works, and Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes: Life and Works

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) was born in Alcalá de Henares and died in Madrid. His life was marked by adventure and hardship. In 1570, he traveled to Italy, where he was deeply influenced by the art, literature, and culture. He served as a soldier, fighting against the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto (1571), where he sustained a severe injury to his left hand. On his return to Spain, he was captured by Turkish pirates and spent five years as a prisoner in Algiers. After being rescued by Trinitarian Fathers, he returned to Madrid and began writing plays to alleviate his financial struggles.

Cervantes lived in various locations, working as a tax collector, and faced imprisonment due to irregularities in his accounts. Despite these challenges, he became a master of prose, adept at developing both realistic and fantastical narratives. His literary output primarily focused on the pastoral novel, the Byzantine novel, and the novella.

Early Works and "Exemplary Novels"

His first novel, La Galatea (1585), is a pastoral novel with idealistic themes. His posthumous work, The Works of Persiles and Sigismunda, was published in 1617. Cervantes also excelled in the novella form, publishing a collection of 12 short novels in 1613, titled Exemplary Novels. These works, inspired by Italian models, are grouped into two categories: realistic novels and idealistic novels.

Cervantes as a Poet and Playwright

Cervantes considered poetry the highest literary genre. He wrote many poems, often focused on nature, but many have been lost. He published one verse play, Voyage to Parnassus (1614), which presents a conflict between good and bad writers. As a playwright, he wrote numerous works, including more than a dozen comedies and eight entremeses (short, comedic interludes). His comedies, following classical rules, explored diverse themes. His only known tragedy is La Numancia. His entremeses are particularly noteworthy for their vivid portrayal of the popular classes of the time, building upon the work of Lope de Rueda but with more complex and dignified characters and more solid plots.

Don Quixote: Cervantes's Masterpiece

Undoubtedly, Cervantes's masterpiece is Don Quixote. It is considered a modern novel due to its characters, the story it tells, and the innovative narrative techniques employed by the author. It consists of two parts:

• Part 1: The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605), comprising 52 chapters. The plot revolves around the protagonist, an impoverished nobleman from La Mancha who goes mad from reading books of chivalry.
• Part 2: The Ingenious Knight Don Quixote de la Mancha (1615), with 74 chapters. Don Quixote embarks on further adventures, encountering a mocking and often unfair society.

Themes in Don Quixote

Don Quixote is a novel about human life, exploring various themes:

• Critique of Chivalric Romances: The novel offers a critical perspective on the books of chivalry, highlighting their imaginative excesses and poor quality.
• Love: Love is presented in a courtly manner, with the knight performing services for his lady. The idealized love for Dulcinea is a central element.
• Literary Criticism: The novel includes discussions of contemporary authors, their works, and literary trends.
• Existential Struggle: The conflict between human ideals and reality is a recurring theme.
• Arms vs. Letters: The Renaissance debate about the relative prestige of arms and letters is explored.
• Humor: The novel is enriched with humor, drawing on elements of picaresque life, justice, customs, and freedom.

Structure

The novel is divided into two parts and three sallies (or expeditions):

• Part 1 is more spontaneous and includes the first sally (chapters 1-6) and the second sally (chapters 7-52).
• Part 2 is more carefully planned and contains the third sally (chapters 1-74).

The second part includes several chapters that respond to the publication of the apocryphal Don Quixote by Avellaneda.

Characters

The characters represent a cross-section of 17th-century Spanish society, including shepherds, innkeepers, nobles, and Moriscos. The main characters are:

• Don Quixote: A modest hidalgo who goes mad from reading chivalric romances. Outside of his madness, he is sane and expresses insightful opinions. He defends the ideals of a world of knight-errantry.
• Sancho Panza: Don Quixote's squire, a simple, sometimes foolish, but often humorous and practical peasant.

The two characters influence each other, leading to a "Quixotization" of Sancho and a "Sanchification" of Don Quixote. They are not heroes but ordinary people with everyday problems.

Intention and Style

Cervantes's intentions in writing Don Quixote were multifaceted:

• To parody the books of chivalry, which were initially read as comic books.
• To portray the society of his time, showing a gentleman seeking to transform his sad and mediocre life into something more perfect.
• To offer literary criticism through dialogues between characters, providing valuations of authors, works, and genres of his time.

Language and Style

Cervantes maintains a standard writing and speaking style, combining elevated language with everyday speech, incorporating proverbs and sayings. The language is clear, precise, and correct. In the narrative, the author sometimes steps aside, giving way to multiple narrators. Cervantes was ahead of his time with these innovative techniques.