Don Quixote Among the Saracens: A Clash of Civilizations and Literary Genres

by Frederick A. de Armas

Overview

The fictional Don Quixote was constantly defeated in his knightly adventures. In writing Quixote's story, however, Miguel Cervantes succeeded in a different kind of quest — the creation of a modern novel that ‘conquers’ and assimilates countless literary genres. Don Quixote among the Saracens considers how Cervantes's work reflects the clash of civilizations and anxieties towards cultural pluralism that permeated Golden Age Spain.

Frederick A. de Armas unravels an essential mystery of one of world literature's best known figures: why Quixote sets out to revive knight errantry, and why he comes to feel at home only among the Moorish ‘Saracens,’ a people whom Quixote feared at the beginning of the novel. De Armas also reveals Quixote's inner conflicts as both a Christian who vows to battle the infidel, but also a secret Saracen sympathizer. While delving into genre theory, Don Quixote among the Saracens adds a new dimension to our understandings of Spain's multicultural history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442616011
Publisher:	University of Toronto Press
Publication date:	03/19/2013
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.05(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Frederick A. de Armas is the Robert O. Anderson Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago.

Table of Contents

Preface

I. Pillars of Genre/Ghosts of Empire: An Introduction

II. A Pythagorean Parody of Chivalry

III. Questioning Quaternities

IV. An Arab's Audacious Pastoral

V. Magics of the Defeated

VI. Clues to a Narrative

VII. Greek Interlace / Italian Interweaving

VIII. Palinurus and the Pleiades

IX. Don Quixote among the Saracens

X. Thymos and its Chariot

Works Cited

What People are Saying About This

Enrique Garcia Santo-Tomas

A must-read for anyone interested in Cervantes’s work, Don Quixote among the Saracens exemplifies Frederick A. de Armas’s immense erudition, superb analytical skills, and attention to detail. In engaging prose, he provides a different look at Cervantes’s intellectual background and successfully connects the writer and his masterpiece with a variety of fields.

Cory Reed

‘Don Quixote among the Saracens is a significant and most original contribution to Cervantes scholarship. In fluid and artful writing, Frederick A. de Armas provides fascinating new insights into the novel and its cultural and literary contexts. His framework is strong and coherent, and his application of genre theory to reveal hidden social tensions is unique, original, and very effective.’

Editorial Reviews

‘Cervantes is a master at throwing curves; de Armas is a master at catching new ironies in a literary classic. The combination is extraordinarily rich and winning. Highly recommended.’

—E.H. Freidman, Choice Magazine vol 49:11:2012

‘De Armas meticulously probes into the visionary and labyrinthine mind of Don Quixote… De Armas has written an original book, a topical book, a moral book.’

—Diana de Armas, Iberoamericana vol 12:48:2012

‘De Armas turns in his usual solid performance as he presents original ideas about the Cervantes masterpiece and the author’s and novel’s background.’

—L.R.N. Ashley, Bibliothèque d'humanisme et Renaissance vol 74:03:2012

‘De Armas’ greatest strength lies in his philological eclecticism, which shines a powerful microscope on Cervantes’ text, producing unforgettable close readings of many passages that have never been adequately explained.’

—William Childers, Bulletin of Spanish Studies, vol 91:08:2014

From the Publisher

‘De Armas’ greatest strength lies in his philological eclecticism, which shines a powerful microscope on Cervantes’ text, producing unforgettable close readings of many passages that have never been adequately explained.’

Bulletin of Spanish Studies, vol 91:08:2014 - William Childers

‘De Armas turns in his usual solid performance as he presents original ideas about the Cervantes masterpiece and the author’s and novel’s background.’

Bibliothèque d'humanisme et Renaissance vol 74:03:2012 - L.R.N. Ashley

‘De Armas meticulously probes into the visionary and labyrinthine mind of Don Quixote… De Armas has written an original book, a topical book, a moral book.’

Iberoamericana vol 12:48:2012 - Diana de Armas

‘Cervantes is a master at throwing curves; de Armas is a master at catching new ironies in a literary classic. The combination is extraordinarily rich and winning. Highly recommended.’

Choice Magazine vol 49:11:2012 - E.H. Freidman