Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-06-06

entertained 80 high q prediction, had
not sufficient interest for him. He felt q
passion for the vivid painting of char
acter, as all his successful works prove.
Under the influence of this feeling, he
drew the natural and striking portrait
of his heroic Don Quixote, so truly no.
bla- minded, and SO enthusiastic an ad-
mirer of everything good and great, yet
having all those fine qualities accident
ally blended with relative kind OF
madness; and he likewise portrayed,
with no less fidelity, the opposite char
acter OF SanchO PanzR. compound OF
grossness and simplicity, whose low
selfishness leads him to place blind con-
f1dence In all the extravagant hopes and
promises OF his master. The subordi-
nate characters of the great picture ex-
htbit equal truth and decision: but the
characteristic tone Of the whole is still
more remarkable. A translator cannot
QaixGte than to dress that work In 9
light, anecdotical style. A style per-
fectly unostentatious and free from af-
fectation, but at the same time solemn
in no wise heavy aud ponderous-and
penetrated, as it were, with the charac-
ter of the hero, diffuses over this comic
romance an imposing air, which, we're
it not so appropriate, would seem to be
long exclusively to serious works, and
which is certainly difficult to be seized
in translation But Is precisely this
solemnity of language which imparts q
characteristic rslief to the comic scenes.
It is the genuine style of the old 70.
mances of chivalry, improved and ap-
piled in totally original way and only
where the dialogue style occurs is each
person found to speak, as he might be
expected to do, and in his own peculiar
manner. But whenever Don Quixote
himself harangues, the language re-
assumes the venerable tone of the ro-
nance style; and various uncommon
expressions of which the hero avei1s
himself, serve to complete the delusion
of his covetous squire, to whom they
are only half intelligible. A word of
any considerable length, and high
sounding, would at once impress San
cho, and convey to his untutored mind,
but appreciative ear, the idea of some-
thing magical and extraordinary and
he would accordingly take great pleas
ure in emphstically repeating it.
This characteristic tone difuses over
the whole poetic coloring, which dis
tinguishes Don Qui2ote from all comic
romances in the ordinary style: and
that poetic c0loring is morever height
ened by the judicious choice Of episodes.
The essential connexion of these epi.
sodes with the whole has sometimes es>
capped the observation Of critics, who
have regarded as merely parenthetical
those parts in which Cervantes has
most decidedly manifested the poetic
spirit of his work. The novel of H
n 10 n !
ranked among the number of these es-
sential episodes; but the charming story
of the shepherdess Marcella, the history
of Dorothea, and the history Of the rich
Camacho and the poor Basilio, are un-
questionably connected with the inter-
est of the whole These serious roman
tic parts, which are not it is true, es-
sential to the narrative connexion, but
strictly belong to the characteristic Dig
nifty of thewhole picture, also prove how
far Ceryantes was from the idea usually
attributed to him of writing q book
merely to excite laughter. The passages.
which common readers feel inclined to
pass over, are, In general, precisely those
in which Cervantes Is most decidedly
poet, and for which he has manifested
an evident prediction. On such occa-
sions, he also introduces among his
prose, episodicai verses, for the most
part excellent in their kind, and no
translator can omit them without doing
violence to the spirit of the original,
Were it not for the happy art with
which Cervantes has cOntrived to pre-
serve an intermediate tone between
pure poetry and prose, Don QuixOte
would not de erve to be cited as the first
classic model of the modern romance or
novel. It Is, however, fully entitled to
that distinction. Cervantes was the
first writer who formed the genuine ro.
nance of modern times on the model of
the original chivalrous romance. that
equivocal creation of the genius and
the barbarous taste of the middle ages
The result has proved that modern taste,
however readily 1t may in other respects
conform to the rules of the antique,
nevertheless requires, in the narration
of fictitious events, certain union of
poetry with prose, which was unknown
to the Greeks and Romans in their best
literary ages. 1t was only necessary to
seize on the right tone. but that was
point of delicacy which the inventors
of chivalry were not able to compre-
hend.
Diego de Mendoza, in his Lazarillo
de Formes, departed too far from poetry.
Cervantes, in his Don QuixOte, restored
to the poetic art the place 1t was entitled
to hold in this class of writing; and he
must not be blamed if cultivated nations
have subsequently mistaken the true
spirit of his work, because their own
novellists had led them to regard com
mon prose as the style peculiarly suited
to romance composition. Don Quixote
is, moreover, the undoubted prototype
of the comic novel. The humorous sit
uations are. it is true, almost all bur
lesque, which was certainly not neces-
sary, but the satire is frequently so del.
icate, that it escapes rather than obtrudes
on uppractised attention; as for exam
pie, in the whole picture of the admin
istration of Sancho Panza in his imag
mary island. The language, even in
the description of the most burlesque
situations, never degenerates into vul-
garity; it is on the contrary. through
out the whole work, SO noble, correct,
and highly polished, that it would not
disgrace even an ancient classic of the
it will be sufficient to quote the speech
of the shepherdess Marcella 1t is in
the true prose style of Cicero, and it ia
altogether composition which has sci
dom been equaled in any modern Ian
guage.
This explanation of part of the mer-
its of work, which has been SO often
wrongly judged, may perhaps seem to
belong rather to the euiogist than the
calm and impartial historian Let those
who may be inclined to form this opin-
ion study Don Quixote in the original
language, and study it rightly, for it is
not book to be judged by superficial
perusal. But care must be taken lest
the Intervention of many subordinate
traits, which were intended to have on
ly transient national interest, shouid
produce an error in the estimate of the
whole.
It js said that Claucer, who, in a
reign that almost realized the wonders
of romantic chivalry. not only discerned
the absurdity of the old romances, but
even ridiculed them with incomparabls
spirit. Some of Cervantes's critics
have endeavored to detract from the
fame and originality of his genius as
displayed in Don Quixote by compar-
ing that famous production with Chau-
GERS ''RIME OF SIR Topaz" in the Can.
terbury tales; and these critics claim to
have discovered many features in Don
Quixote very closely resembling the
prominent traits of character Of Sir