Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Life, Works, and the Legacy of Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Major Literary Works

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a pivotal figure in Spanish literature. His diverse body of work includes:

• The Pastoral Novel: La Galatea.
• The Byzantine Novel: Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (The Labors of Persiles and Sigismunda).
• The Exemplary Novels (Novelas ejemplares): A collection of 12 short stories written in the Italian style. These stories, presented as "exemplary examples for moral life," were often a subtle way to bypass censors.

Categorization of Exemplary Novels

The Exemplary Novels can be broadly categorized:

• Realistic (Actual or Real): These stories better represent the reality of the time. A key example is Rinconete y Cortadillo.
• Idealized: These are more fantastic in nature. Examples include La vuelta del peregrino (The Way Back) and El licenciado Vidriera (The Lawyer Glass).

The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha

Don Quixote was published in two distinct parts:

1. Part I: Published in 1605.
2. Part II: Published in 1615. This second part is generally considered the more complex work.

The Avellaneda Continuation

A year before the publication of the second part, a spurious continuation of the novel appeared, signed by Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda, a pseudonym for an unknown author (perhaps Lope de Vega).

Cervantes' Intentions

Cervantes' primary intention in writing Don Quixote was twofold:

• To parody and criticize the popular novels of chivalry.
• To offer a fierce criticism of the society of his time.

Cervantes masterfully uses the narrative to make readers laugh, ponder the human condition, and understand the reality of Spanish society at the same time.

Argument and Structure of Don Quixote

The work is structured around three "sallies" or adventures:

• The first two sallies occur in Part I.
• The third sally occurs in Part II.

All adventures follow a circular structure: departure, events, and return home.

The Third Sally (Part II)

The second part details the third sally, which includes several key events:

• Don Quixote battles the Knight of the Mirrors (who is actually his neighbor, Sansón Carrasco).
• He descends into the Cave of Montesinos.
• He endures the elaborate teasing orchestrated by the Dukes.
• He travels to Barcelona.
• He is defeated by the Knight of the White Moon (also Sansón Carrasco), who forces him to renounce knighthood.

Defeated and disappointed, Don Quixote returns to his village, recovers his reason and his original identity (Alonso Quijano), and subsequently dies.

Narrative Structure and Character Development

The Narrator

The narrator of Don Quixote is presented as an Arab author named Cide Hamete Benengeli.

Part I: Contrast and Interspersed Stories

In the first part, Don Quixote attempts to impose the reality he has read in chivalry books onto the real world. The narrative includes interspersed stories (novellas) that are separate from the main action. This part is fundamentally based on the sharp contrast between the two main characters.

Part II: Psychological Depth and Complexity

The second part is more complex than the first. The characters gain significant psychological depth and their behavior evolves. By this point, the people they encounter already know Don Quixote and Sancho because they have read about their previous adventures. Reality often adapts to the characters' follies, and Don Quixote is no longer a purely comical or burlesque figure.

The transformation of Sancho Panza is also highly significant in this second part.

Literary Style and Themes

Cervantes employs a style that appears easy and simple, yet possesses immense lexical richness. He frequently utilizes various literary figures, most notably irony.

Dialogue and Polyphony

The work is characterized by extensive dialogue, where each character presents a different viewpoint, creating polyphony (many voices).

Character Evolution

The protagonists undergo profound change and evolution throughout the novel, a process often described as:

• Quixotization: Sancho Panza adopts some of Don Quixote's idealism.
• Sanchification: Don Quixote gains a greater sense of realism from Sancho.