Further Suggestions for Lope de Vega Chronology (1952)

BULLETIN OF THE COMEDIANTES Published in the Spring and Fall by the Comediantes, an informal, international group of all those interested in the comedia. Editor Everett W. Hesse University of Wisconsin Madison 6, Wis. Subscription: $1 a year ways especially irritating to him. With his passion for bibliography, the world of books was for him a living world, in which his keen interest led him to pose, and seek solutions for, a wide range of problems in literary technique and relationships among authors. His writings stand as a permanent monument to his industry and patience. While the world of books was especially cherished by Professor Buchanan, it was by no means the only one from which he could derive satisfactions. He made the acquaintance of common people and took delight in their conversation. Even the petty concerns and the superstitions of servants were included within the range of his interest in humanity. He was genial and generous in all his relationships. His sense of humor was keen, and at times his laughter could verge on the boisterous. Moreover, having spent his early years in a small village, he always retained a fondness for rural pursuits. His Toronto home is located in an outlaying district where such hobbies could be indulged. The cultivation of flowers and vegetables, as well as the rearing of pigeons, chickens, and dogs, occupied many of his leisure hours on his spacious estate. Canadian teachers of Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese will be grateful to Professor Buchanan for the impetus he has given to the study of languages of southern Europe in his own country. Outside Canada, he will be remembered as an outstanding scholar whose studies and investigations have made many significant contributions to our knowledge of Romance literatures. Further Suggestions for Lope de Vega Chronology by Richard W. Tyler, University of Texas 1 . El casamiento en la muerte. As Bernardo del Carpio talks with King Alfonso, the latter asks him, "¿Cuántos castillos has ganado?" Bernardo replies, "He sido / dichoso en esto; diez y nueve tengo ;/todos los doy, oy, mi padre sólo pido."1 That a man named Carpio should mention nineteen castles seems significant for Lopean chronology, for Carpio was of course a part of Lope's name, and it lias been noted that about 1597 he began to have "delusions of grandeur" concerning it.2 This observation gains still further interest when it is recalled that Professors Morley and Bruerton consider 1597 a likely date for El casamiento en la muerte? for Bernardo's remark seems to afford legitimate support for their opinion. 2. La discreta enamorada. Many years ago,4 Professor Buchanan called attention to Captain Bernardo's mention of being old, and of having been born in 1560.5 On this basis, Mr. Buchanan dates the play "about 1610," but could perhaps have been still more specific . In the same speech, the Captain refers to Carlos V at the age of forty-six, and seems to be hinting that he is of like age: Dios haya a Carlos quinto, que decía que la posta y la mar le envejecieron, cuando apenas cuarenta y seis cumplía. Yo nací el año de sesenta, y fueron el Duque y la Duquesa mis padrinos, cuyas Albas tal luz a España dieron. Heme hallado en jornadas y caminos, que si fuera de bronce me acabaran. This first bit of evidence pointing toward 1606 is supported at several points, notably in the same scene, when Bernardo speaks of staging a celebration in Madrid; and Fenisa replies, "Suplicóos, por vida m'a, / h corte no alborotéis."6 There are other indications oí the court's return from Valladolid, as, for example, when Gerarda, as part of one of her intrigues, claims to have been brought to "Ia corte" when only a child.7 It could be argued that this would refer to a time before the move to Valladolid in 1601; but Fenisa's speech could not thus be explained away. On the basis of such evidence, it seems probable that the MB date of 1604-08 (p. 188) can be amended to: 1606-08, probably 1606. 3. Los españoles...