Garcilaso de la Vega's Eclogues and Cervantes' Don Quixote: Literary Masterpieces

Garcilaso de la Vega

The Eclogues

The Eclogues are the most significant compositions of Garcilaso de la Vega. They are pastoral compositions, meaning that the lovers are shepherds who discuss their love in the ideal setting of the "locus amoenus."

Initially, the shepherds in the Eclogues talk of their love. Salicio's lover rejects him, and Nemoroso loses his beloved. Both suffer from love. Salicio and Nemoroso are literary transcripts, or alter egos, of Garcilaso de la Vega himself.

"Alter Ego"

An "alter ego" occurs when the poet experiences the character, usually of a personal nature.

Similarly, Galatea and Elisa are transcripts, or alter egos, of Isabel Freire.

• Galatea rejects Garcilaso, mirroring Isabel Freire's rejection.
• Elisa dies, reflecting Isabel's death.

The setting is a bucolic and pastoral area (locus amoenus).

• Salicio represents the first part of Garcilaso's infatuation.
• Nemoroso represents the second part of Garcilaso's infatuation.

Don Quixote de la Mancha

Cervantes' Masterpiece

Don Quixote de la Mancha is the most famous and accomplished work of Cervantes.

This work of universal significance is structured around the way its two main characters are presented and developed.

Don Quixote was published in two parts:

• First Part: Consists of 52 chapters. It recounts the first two adventures of Don Quixote.
• Second Part: Consists of 74 chapters and tells the third adventure of Don Quixote and Sancho.

Social Commentary in Don Quixote

Cervantes chooses certain characters for his work, and through them and the gallery of characters they encounter in their adventures, he offers a complex vision of the social, political, and economic reality of the time.

The Baroque Paradox in Don Quixote

The Baroque paradox becomes the backbone of each element of meaning in the novel, as well as the treatment of topics such as:

• The insanity and sanity of the character.
• The real and the unreal.

Language and Style in Don Quixote

To achieve naturalness, Cervantes employs linguistic features such as:

• Dialogue
• Neologisms
• Irony

The novel is an exercise in style in which Cervantes demonstrates his artistic abilities by combining features of the narrative genres of the period:

• The Knightly genre
• The Pastoral
• Italian-style short stories
• The Picaresque
• Sentimental Novel
• The Mystical story
• The Doctrinal genre