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Europe.docxEurope & The New World
· Miguel de Cervantes published Part 1 of Don Quixote was in 1605. Part 2 was published in 1615
· Fun fact: Cervantes wrote Part 2 after someone else published a fake sequel
· At this point in time, Spain was still an empire, with colonies in "the New World," and also in Italy and Flanders (part of Belgium)
· Discovering the New World prompted Europeans to think of themselves as living in "the Old World" for the first time --> it should be noted that most European powers grossly exploited people, cultures, and material resources in the New World
· BUT, Cervantes lived at what some might call the "beginning of the end" for the Spanish Empire. Spain was in decline for a number of reasons:
· The defeat of the Spanish armada by England in 1588 decimated the Spanish navy
· The death of King Philip II (Norton 1667)
· Stigmatizing the religious practices of Protestants, Jews, and Muslims (eventually) lead to a serious loss in cultural diversity (Norton 1667)
Website: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjhIzemLdos&feature=youtu.be
The Nature of Fiction/Reality in Don Quixote
· The main character of Don Quixote is Alonso Quixano, a delusional older man who, after reading too many romances--meaning, fantastical stories--decides he is a knight errant
· He goes on many "adventures," usually getting into trouble or getting into comical situations. For example:
· He rides around everywhere on a nag (old horse) called Rocinante, but acts like he is riding a famous stallion
· Famously fights windmills, thinking they are giants
· Mistakes a peasant woman named Aldonsa Lorenzo for a courtly lady and names her his lady love, Dulcinea del Toboso
· But there is also something deeply troubling about Don Quixote. The well-known Mexican author, Carlos Fuentes, states it best when he writes:
Nevertheless, given a choice in the matter, I have always answered that, for me, the modern world begins when Don Quixote de la Mancha, in 1605, leaves his village, goes out into the world, and discovers that the world does not resemble what he has read about. ("Cervantes, or The Critique of Reading" 49)
· I bring up this point because Don Quixote is not just a funny story, but also a commentary on the values we encounter in traditional literature (e.g.: what we've read this semester) as they compare to real life
· Consider the difference between the way things are portrayed in a Disney movie and reality. Now imagine watching so many Disney movies you become convinced they're more real than real life. You decide to become a princess, trap yourself in a tower, and then spend the rest of your life waiting for a prince to rescue you --> that is, metaphorically-speaking, what Don Quixote decides to do
· The problem is that the real world is harder and crueler than what Don Quixote finds in his books. This drift in writing away from romance and fantasy and towards psychological reality-- just a fancy way of saying Don Quixote is one of the earliest novels to explore the human condition at length-- is a quality that makes Don Quixote a special milestone in literary history
· Food for thought: what kinds of books, TV shows, or movies did you grow up reading or watching? How did they affect the way you "see" the world? Did the "real world" match up to your imagination?
