Miguel de Cervantes: That Ingenious Gentleman
A Very Human Legacy
The Most Published Novel in History
It is hard to imagine Spain without the legacy of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Cervantes created much of the imagery that our modern imaginations depend on. Despite the magnitude of the great writer’s influence, most of us struggle to define the features of his work that make him iconic on a global scale. We know that he wrote the best-selling book of all time, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quijote de la Mancha. We’ve also been told that it is recognized as the first modern novel. Many of us read parts of it in school and appreciated it for its apparent slapstick humor. For me however, there has always been a disconnect. What is it really about Don Quijote and his creator that fixes them near the apex of literary history and at the heart of Spanish culture?
For the last few weeks, I’ve gone back to take a hard look at this matter, and in doing so, I’ve discovered a wide range of curious minds asking the same question. Not a few books have been written on the subject, and I have to say that my favorite thus far has been The Man Who Invented Fiction: How Cervantes Ushered in the Modern World by William Egginton (Johns Hopkins). Egginton approaches the question by irrevocably tying Cervantes and Quijote together. In other words, the novel reflects the fascinating and somewhat tragic life of its author. Furthermore, the life of the author reflects the fascinating, and some tragic story of Spain in the face of challenge and change. The resultant literature is thus fused to our human experience in ways that would shape who we are today.
Cervantes was born (1547) into a Spain that was experiencing a serious case of imperial indigestion. The riches from the new American conquests were making Spain nominally wealthy, but Hapsburg Emperor Charles V (also King of Spain) was spending it as soon as it arrived to fund his wars against Islam in the east and Protestants in the north. Furthermore, Charles’ foreign blood and entourage were creating a xenophobic backlash. Bloodlines and patents of nobility were becoming exclusive tickets to professional and social advancement. The days when a person’s worth could be determined by their achievements (dubiously assumed to be the case throughout the previous centuries during the chaotic re-conquest of the Peninsula from the Moors) seemed to be a distant dream. As if the turbulence in Spain were not enough, outside of Spain the Renaissance and Reformation were in full swing in much of Europe, reflecting emerging humanist trends such as wider access to Scripture and other texts, classically inspired anatomical verisimilitude in painting and sculpture, and growing challenges to feudal institutions. These new ideas were being further facilitated in the same decade as Cervantes’ birth with the introduction of the printing press.
Cervantes was born into this confluence of historical lines:
Early Wooden Printing Press
A struggling, elitist Spain that created an illusion of prosperity but could not deliver opportunity to its people. (Imagine a modern oil-producing nation today that cannot harness its wealth for the betterment of its population.)
The increasing force of Renaissance Humanism in Europe that dared perceive some degree of value in the individual beyond his or her pre-destined role in the feudal structure.
The emergence of the printing press, driving changes comparable to the internet in the 21st century.
Cervantes was the son of a struggling barber-surgeon in Alcala de Henares near Madrid whose own father had been an attorney and person of relative importance in the Andalusian city of Cordoba. Although advantaged with a good education, Cervantes struggled his entire life to be recognized as a hidalgo. This very Spanish word, when directly translated, means “son of something”. His mixed bloodlines (partly Jewish) would prevent him from gaining the status of nobility so he would seek to overcome this constraint through military service. Believing that showing loyalty to the King and the Faith he could elevate himself above his station, he joined the military campaign against the Turks which culminated at the Battle of Lepanto. Cervantes’ bravery in the naval engagement was well recorded and resulted in severe injury and the loss of a hand. Adding insult to his injury, on the way back to Spain after his recovery, he was taken hostage by Barbary Pirates and held for ransom in Algiers for over five years. Upon finally returning to Spain, he was greatly discouraged by the disregard for his military service and the Crown’s lack of appreciation for most of its military veterans. His life in Spain was tenuous at best, working a variety of odd jobs that kept his family on the edge of poverty. He was jailed on several occasions and it was not until he was almost 60 (a ripe old age at the time) that he published the first part of Don Quijote.
The Battle of Lepanto by Andries van Eertvelt
By now, you are probably feeling a connection between Cervantes' disillusion and the “illusions” that plague the protagonist of his great novel. Let’s take some time to consider the novel. One of the core features of the Renaissance was the resurgence of classical texts, art, and philosophy. Despite their relative obscurity during the Dark Ages, the classical approach to written text had never really changed. There were essentially two types: History and Poetry. Both approaches were instructional. Aristotle tells us that history “relates what happened”. Poetry relates “what may happen”. In other words, history related facts (as the author knows them), while poetry relates ideals (as the author understands them). Both forms are designed with the assumption that the reader accepts the text without agency or the right of critical interpretation. The same can be said for the characters. In poetry for example, if a snake is a sign of evil, it cannot be interpreted otherwise. It cannot be a sign of good luck. Characters were swept along in verse, slaves to the instructional narrative rather than interpreters of the world around them.
This approach to literature conflicted with emerging humanistic trends of the Renaissance that were beginning to envision individuals as agents of their own destiny. It was here that Cervantes' work departs from the past and becomes the first modern novel. Don Quijote himself represents a triumph of free will vs destiny. “I know who I am” he says, and even though we as readers may think that he is odd or silly, he is certainly not swept along by a pre-determined narrative. This brings us to the more important point. Don Quijote is given agency to interpret the world around him. He may interpret the world in ways that make us laugh, but this very characteristic is one that will drive the novel as an art form into the modern age. Where Sancho Panza saw windmills, our protagonist sees giants that must be defeated. This is so much more than comedy. As we think about Cervantes’ life, we can imagine his own disillusion. The war that he perceived as an honorable cause and stepladder to nobility, turned out to be more of a logistical and administrative matter to the Spanish State, just one of another series of military conflicts that benefitted “the industry of war and politics” while crippling and killing the pawns that were moved carelessly around the board. The very idea that the individual can see war, or the aims of politics, or religion, or love in ways that may not complement traditional institutional perspectives was novel indeed (no pun intended). As time passed and humanism became the driving factor in the Enlightenment, this divergence would literally rip the new world from the old. (See my recent post on Goya.)
This new approach to literature landed in a Spain that was discontent with its place in the world and its stagnant feudalistic society. The printing press spread Don Quijote throughout Europe at a rapid pace, and he quickly became an underground hero for his individualism and comedic mockery of institutional hypocrisy. Even our founding fathers were aficionados, with the novel serving as a prized centerpiece of George Washington’s private library at Mt. Vernon. Most books and movies that entertain us today are influenced by Cervantes. An event occurs. The same event is interpreted in different ways by different characters. Free will is exercised. Drama results.
Windmills Decorating the Plains of Castilla-La Mancha
I hope that this post provided some insight to you regarding Cervantes’ world and the reasons behind the force of his legacy. There is much more of course, and it’s really too much to tackle in a single serving. The underappreciated geographical area of Castilla-La Macha where the drama is set is fascinating in its own right. Among the beautiful villages is Consuegra where you can see some of the most iconic windmills. Toboso (home of the Don and his fair maiden Dulcinea) is another example of a place that Quijote pilgrims don’t miss. Paradores of Spain has an entire route established to facilitate visits to this beautiful area. So be brave, and sally out into the world ye curious knights-errant. Giants await.
