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
<[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:
coloquiocervantes@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:
coloquiocervantes@ou.edu
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