Title: The Signifying Self: Cervantine Drama as Counter-Perspective Aesthetic
Abstract:MELANIE HENRY, The Signifying Self: Cervan- tine Drama as Counter-Perspective Aesthetic. London: MHRA. 2013. 180 pp. ISBN 978-1- 78188-002-9.The Signifying Self: Cervantine Drama as Counter- Perspecti...MELANIE HENRY, The Signifying Self: Cervan- tine Drama as Counter-Perspective Aesthetic. London: MHRA. 2013. 180 pp. ISBN 978-1- 78188-002-9.The Signifying Self: Cervantine Drama as Counter- Perspective Aesthetic is the result of Henry's doctoral thesis, titled in the same manner, which appeared in February 2013 as a mono- graph.As far as structure is concerned, following the list of contents and an acknowledgements page (vi), the book begins with an introduc- tion (1-14), which precedes a total of three chapters (15-156), followed by a conclusion (157-59). Textual notes appear as endnotes at the end of each chapter. They are basically explanatory notes and include the works cited in the body of the text.The Bibliography (160-73) is quite compre- hensive and is placed in a separate section immediately following the Conclusion. It is divided into two distinct parts, namely a first part devoted to Primary References (160-61), and a second part which contains Secondary References (162-73).Henry opens the 'Introduction', 'Cervan- tes: Writing Drama On The Margins' (1-14), with an allusion to El Quijote as the origin of Cervantes's reputation as a 'literary giant' (1) in the field of the modern novel, which contrasts with the scant attention and the underestimation given by critics to his dramatic production until modern times. In addition, the author states that the popularity of his masterpiece would have beclouded his comedies.The three chapters deal with controversial topics that are recurrent in each of the Ocho comedias, which Henry examines.The first chapter, 'Encuentro con Lope en el Camino: La entretenida, El laberinto de amor and La casa de los celos y selvas de Ardenia' (15-74), is subdivided into three sections: '?Todo aquesto es burla?: Shattering the Spectacle and Sustaining the Self in La entrete- nida' (16-37); 'Expressive Selves in El laberinto de amor' (37-52) and 'Manipulative Magic in La casa de los celos y selvas de Ardenia' (52-64), and offers a new critical approach to Cervantes's 'emulation' of Lope in these comedies. As Henry puts it: 'Such an approach opens up constructively to reveal how these plays function as powerfully positive statements of Cervantine drama itself ' (16). Furthermore, she highlights the capital role that female characters have in Cervantes's work as 'creators' and 'artists' (43) such as the three protagonists in El laberinto de amor: Rosamira, Porcia and Julia.On the other hand, Chapter two, 'Staging Libertad in Cervantes's Comedias de cautivos' (75-127), which is, in turn, subdivided into three sections, 'Playing the Past in El gallardo espanol' (76-91); 'All that Glitters is not Gold: La gran sultana Dona Catalina de Oviedo Re-considered' (91-103), and 'Staging Spain in Los banos de Argel' (103-119), reconsiders the treatment of captivity and freedom by Cervantes in his three Comedias de cautivos. …Read More
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-08-20
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 5
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