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


Compiled from old Mem.-Continued.
None but an experienced observer of
mankind, endowed with profound judg-
ment, and genius to whose penetrat-
ing glance one of the most interesting
recesses of the human heart had been
newly disclosed, could have seized the
idea of such romance as Don Quixote
with energetic precision. None but q
poet and a man of wit could have
thrown so much poetic interest into the
execution of that idea; and none but
an author who had at his disposal all
the richness and variety of one of the
finest languages in the world, could
have diffused over such q work that
classical perfection of expression which
gives the stamp of excellence to the
whole.
The originality of the idea of Don
Quixote is not only historically demon
strated by no romance of q similar kind
having previously existed-for pictures
of-an ingenious roguery, in the style OF
LazarillO de Tormes, belong to totally
different species of comic romance-but
it is also pyschologically certain, that
creative fancy, which was only capable
of continuing to invent where another
had stopped, could not, with the bold
ness of Cervantes, have combined traits.
apparently heterogeneous in order there.
by to exhaust to the utmost the idea by
which he was inspired. Those who are
acquainted with Don Quixote only
through the medium of the common
translations, will not certainly be in
clined to regard it as work of inspira-
tiOn in the highest sense OF the word.
But it is impossible to form n more mis-
taken notion of this work, than to con-
slider it merely as 3 satire, intended by
the author to ridicule the absurd pas
sion for reading old romances of chiv-
airy. Doubtless this is one of the OBJ
jects which Cervantes had in view for
among the romances which the Spanish
public indefatigably perused, few were
tolerable, and only one or two possessed
first rate merit We must not, however,
attribute to him the abs urd conceit of
/ wishing to prove the prejudicial infu
ence which the reading of bad roman
ces produced OIL the taste of the Spanish
nation, by exhibiting the individual
folly of All enthusiast, who would have
been just as likely to have lost his
senses By the study of Plato or Aristotle,
as by the reading of r0mances of chiv-
airy. The merit and the richness of the
idea of atman Of elevated character, ex
cited by heroic and enthusiastic feelings
to the extravsgant degree OF wishing to
restore the aye of chivalry, must be re
garded as the seed of inspirat ion whence
the whole work originated. AS poet.
Cervantes was aware of the resources
which this idea furnished, end he must
also have t,..l. sa; a;isfied with his power
to prosecute it, as he has proved in the
execution what he was capable of &C.
completing.
In the invention of q series of comic
situations of the most burlesque kind,
he found full scope for the exercise of
his fancy. The painting of these situa-
tions afforded opportunities for the free
and energetic development OF his poetic
talent.
Finally, he knew how to combine the
knowledge of human nature he had &C
quired during life of fifty years with
the most delicate satire, so as to render
his comic romance also book of moral
instruction, to which no parallel existed.
These brie! remarks on the idea fOrm-
ing the foundation of the romance of
Don Quixote, must be allowed to supply
the place of detailed analysis of the
manner In which that celebrated work
is composed. Other critics have sufii-
ciently proved that the composition Is
by no means faultless. In the preface
to the second part, Cervantes has him
self pointed out some inadvertencies
which produce incongruities in the his
tory, but he disdained to correct them,
hecause he con ceived that thev had been