Estimadas personas,

Si acaba de recibir esta noticia entonces ya es miembro virtual del 
«Coloquio Cervantes», obra de Kurt Reichenberger y A. Robert Lauer.  El 
plan es distribuir un tema de discusión cada semana a los colegas 
interesados en Cervantes, con el propósito de que inspire al diálogo.  Los 
colegas pueden responder al tema de discusión entrando en el simposio 
<http://www.ou.edu/cervantes/coloquiocervantes.html> y mandando un mensaje 
a los colegas.  También puede responder mandando un mensaje por e-mail a 
<<mailto:[log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]>.  Esta 
información será vista por todos nosotros.  Kurt hará una selección de las 
respuestas y sacará adelante un libro.  Por lo tanto, al mandar mensajes, 
es necesario que incluyan sus nombres completos.  A la vez, hay un «chat 
room» del Coloquio Cervantes; sin embargo, funciona sólo cuando hay al 
menos dos personas en el sistema, ya que la comunicación es virtual y en 
vivo.  Para tal dirección tienen que entrar dentro del sistema: 
<http://modlang.ou.edu/cervantes/>.  Las instrucciones están en 
español.  Si no desea recibir mensajes del Coloquio Cervantes, favor de 
indicármelo.  También se puede hacer entrando en los archivos del Coloquio: 
<http://www.ou.edu/cervantes/coloquiocervantes.html>.  Espero que este 
sistema haga posible la comunicación--y publicación--casi inmediata de 
aspectos cervantinos en este año tan especial de 2005.

Saludos cordiales de

A. Robert Lauer & Kurt Reichenberger

Favor de ver abajo la carta inicial de Kurt Reichenberger (en español e 
inglés) y el primer tema de discusión:

Estimados amigos y amigas:
Desde Navidad aparecieron Cervantes y su mundo I y II, volúmenes valiosos 
con más de 30 artículos, gran parte de ellos sobre el Quijote de 1605. 
Pronto será publicado Cervantes y su mundo, vol. III, con otros veinte y 
cuatro artículos escritos por distinguidos cervantistas. Con los 24 
capítulos en Cervantes, el Quijote y los mensajes destinados al lector y 
otros 12 en Cervantes and the Hermeneutics of Satire tendremos alrededor de 
cien opiniones decididas y sustentadas con rigor crítico.
Considerado bien una situación tan favorable, proponemos la fundación de un 
simposio virtual con el título «Coloquio Cervantes». Como han visto, 
existen hasta cien asuntos críticos que valen la pena ser discutidos con 
elegancia y fervor académico. Intentamos presentartes en el «Coloquio 
Cervantes» cada semana un tema nuevo, interesantísimo. El de la semana 
actual es: «Cervantes, ¿es un feminista?»
El de la próxima semana será: «Catalina de Palacios, ¿co-autora del Quijote 
de 1605?»
Las contribuciones serán publicadas lo antes posible.
Un cordial saludo
A.R.L.   K.R.

Dear Colleagues,
Since Christmas, Cervantes y su mundo, vols. I and II, appeared; these are 
stately volumes with more than 30 contributions, mostly on the Quixote of 
1605. Soon, Cervantes y su mundo, vol III, will be published by Edition 
Reichenberger, with an additional 24 articles, written by distinguished 
Cervantistas. Together with the 24 chapters in Cervantes, el Quijote y los 
mensajes destinados al lector, and 12 chapters in Cervantes and the 
Hermeneutics of Satire, we come to an amount of about a hundred theses 
sustained with most solid arguments. In such a favorable situation, we 
propose the institution of a virtual symposium with the title «Coloquio 
Cervantes». As you will have noticed, we have about a hundred literary 
items, which are worth discussing with elegance and academic rigor. We 
intend to present to you in the «Coloquio Cervantes» every week a new 
subject of common interest to be discussed. The one of this week runs: 
"Cervantes, is he a feminist?"
The one for next week will be: "Catalina de Palacios, is she a co-authoress 
of the Quixote of 1605?"
The different opinions will be published in a nice little volume as soon as 
possible.
Best wishes
A.R.L.   K.R.

Primer asunto crítico para dialogar. Puede responder a la siguiente tesis, 
en español o inglés, mandando un mensaje a
<http://lists.ou.edu/archives/cervantes-l.html> o al siguiente número 
electrónico: 
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>coloquiocervantes<mailto:coloquiocervantes@ 
ou.edu>@ou.edu

Was Cervantes a Feminist?

Some Irritating Thoughts on the Quixote of 1605

The title alone might cause an astonished frown. For Gender Studies, as a 
rule are engaged, but sometimes lacking seriousness. Is Don Quixote, mirror 
of knighthood, feministically contaminated? That sounds like a joke, even 
high spirited experts of Gender Studies would not dare to utter similar 
assertions. Nevertheless, as soon as we start scrutinizing closely some 
crucial situations and persons we are confronted with astounding results. 
Of the men present in the novel no one is really sympathetic. Only Don 
Quixote himself. But as we are told already in the first chapter, he has 
lost his mind.
As far as the women are concerned it is completely different. First of all 
we have Dorotea. Don Fernando sneaked in, promised to marry her and then 
abandoned her. A fact, not gentlemanlike at all. Dorotea has left her 
parents' house, has clothed herself like a young man and gone in search of 
her noble seducer. She is prudent, energetic and helpful. This becomes 
obvious when she is told the crazy plan of the parson to bring Don Quixote 
home to his village. For she resolutely declares that she will play the 
part of the unfortunate princess far better than the fat parson or the 
barber. The amused reader certainly agrees. At any rate, Dorotea plays her 
part of the unfortunate princess so perfectly, that Don Quixote is 
convinced at once. Also, Cervantes loves her with all his heart. And he 
shows his sympathy. Not by exaggerating her beauty or her other 
perfections. On the contrary. He makes her human by attributing her little 
shortcomings. When she tells her story, how Don Fernando seduced and then 
abandoned her, she scolds and reviles like a muleteer. And when she tries 
to describe her journey, she confounds seaports with other cities, blushes 
and looks for an evasion. Just, like a beginner in school. And exactly 
those blunders, skillfully chosen by Cervantes, make her so lovable to the 
reader. •1•

Also the feminine trio in the inn of Juan Palomeque has the sympathy of 
Cervantes and the reader. Tired from the long ride, Don Quixote immediately 
goes to sleep. But the others prefer to chat a bit and the innkeeper and 
his women join them. They come to speak of Don Quixote and his madness, for 
the innkeeper and the women know him already from a very turbulent night. 
It turns out that the innkeeper has also two books on chivalry a traveller 
left behind some time ago. He cannot read, but at harvest time groups 
assemble in the inn and there is always someone who reads for an interested 
audience. The innkeeper particularly enjoys the bloodiest battles most. And 
when the parson wants to convince him of the deceitfulness of the books of 
chivalry, he is obstinate and comes out with a nice argument: those books 
wear the approbation of the king himself, so they could contain no lies.
Then the parson asks the women. Compared with the wild exaggerations of the 
innkeeper, their commentaries are rather realistic. And very characteristic 
for each one of them. The wife of the innkeeper admits at once a sympathy 
for the books of chivalry. At harvest time, when someone was reading to a 
company, her husband sat there listening openmouthed. That was fine, for 
she had a peaceful time and could do her work without him meddling with it 
or standing in the way. The next who answers the question is Maritornes, 
the ugly Asturian maid. She is enraptured of the books of chivalry, 
especially of the appetizing love-scenes, when the knight holds the lovely 
young lady firmly and kisses her tenderly. Such scenes, she assures, fade 
away like honey on your tongue. Another aspect is named by the adolescent 
daughter of the innkeeper. She likes the tender complaints of the 
knights-errant. But confesses that it is hard to understand why they do not 
marry their beloved ones.•2•

Cervantes, infatuated with revealing situations, has succeeded in 
presenting the «libros de caballerías» from rather surprising points of 
view. In the discussions between experts and fans of those books the debate 
is mostly concerned with the categories of Aristotle, History vs. Poetic 
inventions, Truth vs. Fantastic exaggerations, or the complexity of 
probability. Cervantes breaks the fetters of the traditional discussion in 
a most unconventional way. At the same time, he succeeds splitting up the 
feminine trio in the house of Juan Palomeque in manner, not only striking, 
but most amusing. Everyone of those women has well-determined features and 
evokes our sympathetic interest. But only at the rim of the scene. As for 
Cervantes, the outstanding star of them is the prudent, energetic and 
humorous Dorotea. A peach of a girl.

Kurt Reichenberger

Notes

(1) With respect to Dorotea see «La ingeniosa Dorotea y su voluble don 
Fernando». In: Kurt & Theo Reichenberger, Cervantes. »Don Quijote« y sus 
mensajes destinados al lector. Traducido por Pablo Álvarez Ellacuria. 
(Estudios de literatura 93). Kassel 2004. pp. 115-128. – Mª Carmen Marín 
Pina, «Don Quijote, las mujeres y los libros de caballerías». In: Cervantes 
y su mundo II. Eds. Kurt Reichenberger / Darío Fernández-Morera. (Estudios 
de literatura 94). Kassel 2005. pp. 309-340.

(2) With respect to Maritornes see «La noche pasada en lo que don Quijote 
creía castillo y la lasciva Maritornes». In: Kurt & Theo Reichenberger, 
Cervantes. »Don Quijote« y sus mensajes destinados al lector. o.c., pp. 
71-75. – Joan F. Cammarata, «Descifrando los códigos de clase, cultura y 
poder en el mundo de Cervantes». In: Cervantes y su mundo II. o.c., pp. 
86-100; – "Typological Forays: Maritornes, the Asturian Maid, and Her 
Hagiografic Model." In: Kurt Reichenberger, Cervantes and the Hermeneutics 
of Satire. (Estudios de literatura 94). Kassel 2005.

As a matter of fact, due to the exaggerated agressiveness of some 
authoresses, the terms “feminism, feminist” etc. sound rather despective. I 
am convinced Kurt does not mean that, but that by reading attentively the 
Quijote, he has adopted from Cervantes the trick to shock the readers by 
fresh formulations, thus stimulating them to decided reactions.

Well, what is your position in this case? Cervantes, is he, or is he not a 
feminist?

Responda en español o inglés a:
<http://lists.ou.edu/archives/cervantes-l.html> o al siguiente número 
electrónico: 
<mailto:[log in to unmask]>coloquiocervantes<mailto:coloquiocervantes@ 
ou.edu>@ou.edu
The Editor

NB:  Con la disculpa de todos, este mensaje será mandado dos veces (una por 
correo electrónico y otra por medio de la lista de distribución)

Prof. A. Robert Lauer
The University of Oklahoma
Dept. of Modern Langs.,  Lits., & Ling.
780 Van Vleet Oval, Kaufman Hall, Room 206
Norman, Oklahoma 73019-2032, USA
Tel.: 405-325-5845 (office); 405/325-6181 (OU dept.); Fax: 1-530-364-9575 
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