Cervantes' 'Don Quixote': A Casebook by Roberto González EchevarríaUnhappily Ever after: Deceptive Idealism in Cervantes's Marriage Tales by Eric J. Kartchner

Abstract

252 Reviews attack onMachiavelli, published in 1576. Despite its imperfections, it is 'the most ex tensive and systematic study ofMachiavelli undertaken in the sixteenth century, and certainly themost influential' (p. 230). Gentillet may have had very restricted abili ties,but he was 'theonly sixteenth-century political theorist ofwhom it may be said unequivocally thathis thinkingwas shaped principally by a reading ofMachiavelli' (p. 284). Some of his misinterpretations derive from his use of unreliable French translations rather than Italian originals, and his technique of reducing Machiavelli to a series of separate 'maxims' is defended (pp. 297-99). It is even possible, Anglo suggests, thatGentillet's book may have had the unintended effect of stimulating interest in Machiavelli and making him more widely known. I have a few reservations about some of the later chapters of this book-for ex ample, Chapter i6,which tries to assert thatCastiglione and his successors aremore immoral thanMachiavelli, isnot inmy view fullyconvincing or relevant-but never theless consider it tobe the most important study so far written onMachiavelli's early reputation. Deeply learned, irreverent,and pugnacious, Anglo frequently challenges stock assumptions, providing massive amounts of detailed evidence to support his arguments. (I do not remember a single use of theword 'intertextuality'.) Anyone who wants towrite on Machiavelli's relationship to a particular later author of the Renaissance should certainly read thisbook before attempting to do so. UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL N. W. BAWCUTT Cervantes' 'Don Quixote': A Casebook. Ed. by ROBERTO GONZALEZ ECHEVARRiA. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2005. XiV+28I pp. ?45. ISBN 978-0-I9 5 I6937-9. Unhappily Ever After: Deceptive Idealism inCervantes's Marriage Tales. By ERIC J. KARTCHNER. Newark, DE: Juan de laCuesta. 2005. I53 PP. ?IO.75. ISBN 978 I-5887I-075-8. Roberto Gonz'alez Echevarria has assembled a very nice collection of essays to serve as an introduction toCervantes criticism. The book begins with a perceptive intro duction which contextualizes thenovel, and this is followed by nine critical essays and a short selection of self-referentialpassages fromCervantine prologues that serves in place of the interviewwith the author that is traditionally included in books in this series. The introduction briefly assesses the timeless appeal ofDon Quixote, notes the differences between the two parts of the novel, and then summarizes the essays that follow. Seven of thenine essays are among thegreatest pieces everwritten about thenovel: Manuel Duran's brief assessment ofCervantes's life;Erich Auerbach's brilliant ana lysisof the scene of theenchanted Dulcinea; Ramon Menendez Pidal's seminal study of the genesis of the novel; E. C. Riley's subtle consideration of the relationship between literature and life;Bruce Wardropper's important essay on the concepts of story and history inCervantes's time; Leo Spitzer's great study on linguistic per spectivism; and George Haley's superb essay on the relationship between the scene ofMaese Pedro's puppet show and thenarrative structure of thenovel. These essays were all originally published between i924 and I974 and represent the very best of traditional historical and philological scholarship from themid-twentieth century. It is a pleasure to reread these great pieces and realize that they are as impressive today as theywere decades ago when firstpublished. Students reading Don Quixote either on their own or in class, whether inEnglish or Spanish, either in undergraduate or graduate classes, have much to learn from thesemasters. Accompanying theclassics are twonew essays, one byGonz'alez Echevarria himself MLR, I02.1, 2007 253 and one by his formerstudentGeorgina Dopico Black. The latterprovides both a good historical review of the concepts of books, libraries, and censorship inCervantes's timeand amore modern consideration of canon and empire. The editor's contribution deals with optics, vision, and authorship.Whether or not thepostmodern styleand ap proach of these twocarefully crafted pieces will stand the testof time as have theother essays in thevolume is a question that can only be answered a fewdecades fromnow. Eric J.Kartchner's book is a brief but penetrating examination ofmetafictional elements in fiveof Cervantes's novelas ejemplares that deal with marriage. After a brief introduction, thebook opens with a theoretical chapter on thenature ofmetafic tion and an excellent chapter (the longest in the book) on the critical history of...