Antonio Bernat Vistarini, About human misery and dignity in Cervantes’ Quijote

 

This study explores the presence in Don Quijote of the ancient debate on human misery and dignity, as well as some images related to this debate. The protagonist’s ability to rise above his undistinguished origins, the symbolism of his penitential body, beaten down and transcended by his will to act, are framed within a system also capable of including laughter and ironic distancing, from the moment when the bonae litterae are replaced by romances of chivalry or by texts of outmoded Humanism. The study concludes with some connections that situate these ideas against the fascinating background of emblematic literature.

 

Published on: Geographies of body, N. 18 New Series – Year IX 2013