1. Francisco Umbral, lector de Don Quijote.
- Author
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Pablo Ramos, Juan
- Subjects
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LITERARY criticism , *SPANISH literature , *TWENTIETH century , *INDIVIDUALISM , *NOVELISTS , *METAPHOR , *FICTION - Abstract
The paper discusses the so far unnoticed relation between Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote and the life and works of Spanish novelist Francisco Umbral. In spite of having written numerous texts on canonical Spanish authors, Umbral actually paid limited attention to Cervantes. The purpose of the paper is to establish the few yet significant affinities that Umbral expressed towards Cervantes and the main character of his novel. In order to demonstrate this complex link, the paper compares the character of Alonso Quijano to Umbral as a public figure himself. In both cases, there is a constant negotiation between fact and fiction, which leads us to problematize, according to Ian Watt, the concept of "myth" as a paradigm of modern individualism. The second part of the paper examines the metaphors of history that Umbral discovers throughout his reading of Don Quixote. Finally, the third section reflects on the similarities between Quijano and Umbral as both heroes and polemicists. Conclusions show that Umbral's interpretation is symptomatic of a shared perspective of Miguel de Cervantes' novel among late 20th century Spanish writers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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