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Desengaño and Salvation in 'Guzmán de Alfarache'

:	Charmaine L. McMahon
:	Desengaño and Salvation in 'Guzmán de Alfarache'
:	Digitalia
:	9781882528448
:	1
:	CHF 62.90
:

:	Kunst, Literatur
:	English

:	162
:	DRM
:	PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
:	PDF

In Spain’s monumental novel of roguery, Guzmán de Alfarache, the interaction of the moral digressions and the picaresque exploits is presented as a literary technique that reflects the socio-ethical polemic undermining seventeenth century Spanish society. The psychological role of the narrator-protagonist is explored in the interpretation of socio-cultural symbols and myths leading up to Spain’s unhappy"enlightenment". The picaro’s confession is presented as secular, rather than religious, and is associated with his journey to make sense out of the world. This defines the motives and effects of baroque"desengaño" in the"Guzmán" in order to facilitate a more complete understanding of its moral-didactic aim.

Chapter 1 The Historical Context of Guzman (p. 27)

In contrast to the linear uniformity that characterized the literature of the renaissance, the complicated, multidimensional nature of the Guzman stands as an exceptional example of the complex artistic creativity and religious fervor of many baroque literary works.

The political motivations behind this tendency and its impact upon the evolution and diffusion of desengaño throughout sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain should therefore be carefully considered by those who seek to understand the impetus behind the competing forces of verisimilitude and didacticism that inform Alemán`s monumental novel.

As is known, the choices of the State greatly affected the stability of the social structure and had a profound effect on the emergence of desengaño in the Spanish consciousness and its subsequent representation in literary works.

The decline of Spain`s military power and fiscal wealth produced a restructuring of the social hierarchy away from actual nobility and wealth towards one based upon the ability to maintain an outward show of prosperity and wellbeing in the face of economic crisis. The careful safeguarding of social status was of the utmost importance.

In Guzman de Alfarache, the polemic between deceit and disillusionment is central to Alemán`s portrayal of human motivation and behavior. The discrepancies between essence and appearance are made evident through the interplay of the concepts of engaño and desengaño.

The reader is cautioned to be aware of the human predilection for embellishment and exaggeration over truth in the narrator`s observation that: Común y general costumbre ha sido y es de los hombres, cuando les pedís reciten o refieran lo que oyeron o vieron, o que os digan la verdad y sustancia de una cosa, enmascararla y afeitarla, que se desconoce, como el rostro de la fea.

Cada uno le da sus matices y sentidos, ya para exagerar, incitar, aniquilar o divertir, según su pasión le dita. (1: 129) A brief discussion of the politico-economic climate in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spain will help us to better define and appreciate the concepts of engaño and desengaño and their important role in Alemán`s work.

In the century preceeding the publication of the Guzman, Spain had acquired an enormous amount of territory and wealth due to military exploits and the discovery of the New World.

Throughout its long history, the fundamental concepts of honor, nobility and military glory had been intrinsically linked to the Spaniard`s sense of patriotism and self worth. Loyalty to God and King were a common measure for determining the individual`s value and position in the political and social arenas. Undoubtedly, the most beloved military figure in the history of Spanish literature is Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, or as he is more commonly known today, el Cid.

History shows that despite being unappreciated, even mistreated by the king he sought to protect and defend, his loyalty to the monarchy never wavered. Even in exile, his military prowess continued to gain territory and power for the Spanish crown. Through a blind dedication to his king, he would eventually earn military glory, royal acceptance and that most coveted reward, a glorified and permanent place in Spanish history.

	Table of Contents	6
	Introduction	8
	1. The Historical Context of Guzmán	34
	2. Desengaño as a Structural Motif	55
	3. Sermon and Rhetoric in Guzmán	93
	4. Desengaño in the Interpolated Stories	122
	Summary and Conclusions	152
	WORKS CITED	158