File spoon-archives/phillitcrit.archive/phillitcrit_1997/phillitcrit.9711, message 912


Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 20:22:09 -0800
From: "Thad Q. Alexander" <rattler-AT-inreach.net>
Subject: Re: PLC: Book Burning: Dante & Cervantes




Kevin Goetz wrote:

> One of Aristotle's thoughts which this
> was possibly an illusion to was Aristotle's thoughts on mimesis, wherein a
> work of art has the reader/watcher (in the case of plays, visual arts)
> imitates the work.

Interesting here. Like Cervantes's, Quixote emanating a Knights Errant after
submerging himself in books of courtly love and chivalry.

> This absolves the couple of intent, in their adulterous
> relations (they kissed over the book, and were killed by Francesca's
> husband), and explains why they are in a 'lite' region of hell, even though
> they sinned (those who sinned without intent populate the outer rings,
> where the torment is less, but populate hell they still do.  The first
> ring, for instance, houses those who committed no other sin than to be born
> before the savior/Christ was born.)

So yes, if Dante reflects the middle age church and it's belief that books can
corrupt, then we can say that Cervantes was influenenced by Dante's Inferno. If
in fact he is making light of this midieval genre and how the middle age church
dealt with it. Perhaps?

> There is much more here, and I am no expert on Dante (please forgive me,
> any who are, if I speak out of turn), but while ridding the world of all
> art would, of course, stop this mimetical process (if you use 'art' in a
> broad way), one of the things we see as we go through the Inferno with
> Dante and Virgil is that Francesca's husband will probably suffer here, as
> well.

Yes, Caina, at the bottom of Hell, were traitors and murderers to kindred are
punished, waits for her husband.

> There is a sense of irony, no one has done right in the situation,
> and this irony is certainly found in the Quixote.

Yes, very much so. Once again, for Cerv, could this irony be at the church. And
more so, the spanish inquisition of his time? On how the church handles
literature?

> But, ummm....  How do we discern whether or not Cervantes developed his
> ideas from this source?  I think that I too, would appreciate some help at
> this point.

Yes, very much so. I may only have a little of this, and a little of that, for
now, in the knowledge of literature, but the one thing I have learnt in full is
this is some damn interesting stuff.

--
Thad Q. Alexander
(rattler-AT-inreach.net)
OCC Undergraduate
Long Beach, CA.
USA
---
CHAUCER-AT-listserv.uic.edu
Phillitcrit-AT-jefferson.village.Virginia.EDU
Phil-lit-AT-Was found morally unfit for my presence:11\3\97
SHAKSPER-AT-ws.bowiestate.edu
Great Books of Western Civilization
---
The good parts of a book may be only something a writer
is lucky enough to overhear or it may be the wreck
of his whole damn life and one is as good as the other.
    ----Ernest Hemingway




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