Spanish Literary Classics: Lazarillo, Cervantes, and Don Quijote

Posted on Jul 4, 2025 in English Studies

Lazarillo de Tormes: Resources and Style

The autobiographical technique, a novel resource at the time, is employed. Lázaro, as an adult, recounts his youth, detailing the character’s evolution from innocence to maturity. The novel’s style embodies Renaissance simplicity. The work is written in clear language, devoid of rhetorical devices. Through dialogues, it imitates colloquial speech, reflecting the popular world. Irony is another outstanding technical element. The novel is a collection of amusing anecdotes that contain a strong social critique.

Themes in Lazarillo de Tormes

  • Hunger: Particularly evident in the first three treatises, hunger forces the boy to awaken and sharpen his wits.
  • Honor: Lázaro seeks to achieve honor through work and marriage. Paradoxically, he fails to attain it, as his wife is unfaithful.
  • Religion: Most of Lázaro’s masters belong to the clergy. The novel critiques a society that has lost its Christian values.

Miguel de Cervantes and the Novel

Miguel de Cervantes is one of the greatest writers in world literature. His masterpiece, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quijote of La Mancha, stands out. Cervantes was a cultured individual, knowledgeable not only of the classical tradition but also of contemporary literary trends. Cervantes’ literary significance stems from his Novelas Ejemplares and, fundamentally, from Don Quijote, a novel that synthesizes all literary patterns of its time and paved the way for the modern novel.

Cervantes’ Novelas Ejemplares

Cervantes published a collection of twelve short stories in 1613, offering a poetic and moral interpretation of life. They are called ‘exemplary’ because each offers a valuable lesson or moral insight. The novels are classified into two groups: realistic novels, which depict social scenes of the underworld, and idealistic novels, characterized by their fictional and poetic mood.

Realistic Novelas Ejemplares

  • Rinconete and Cortadillo: Two rogues seeking adventure join a brotherhood of thieves in Seville.
  • The Deceitful Marriage: Lieutenant Campuzano, seeking a secure retirement, marries Estefanía, who later steals his wedding jewelry, which turns out to be fake.
  • The Jealous Extremaduran: A wealthy old man, returned from the Indies, marries a young woman who soon deceives him. Upon learning of her adultery, he dies of grief.
  • The Dialogue of the Dogs: This work satirizes contemporary life through a dialogue between two dogs.
  • The Licentiate Vidriera: An intelligent young man goes mad due to a love potion and becomes famous for his advice. When his sanity is restored, he loses his fame.
  • The Little Gypsy Girl: This is the story of a young nobleman who falls passionately in love with a gypsy. She promises to marry him in two years if he lives like a gypsy.
  • The Illustrious Kitchen Maid: Two students of aristocratic origin become rogues. One falls in love with an inn maid, who turns out to be of noble birth.

Idealistic Novelas Ejemplares

  • The English Spanish Lady: Narrates the love story of Isabela, a Spanish woman, and Recaredo, an Englishman. After many adventures, the lovers reunite in Seville.
  • The Liberal Lover: Focuses on the adventures of two lovers, Ricardo and Leonisa, held captive by the Turks. They eventually manage to escape from prison.
  • The Two Maidens: Two young lovers flee their homes disguised as men and achieve their desires after many vicissitudes.
  • The Force of Blood: The young Rodolfo, captivated by Leocadia’s beauty, abducts and assaults her. Years later, Leocadia tells the story to Rodolfo’s parents, who decide they should marry. Rodolfo returns from Italy and falls in love with the young woman, whom he does not recognize.
  • Lady Cornelia: The knight Don Antonio finds a newborn baby, whose father turns out to be the Duke of Ferrara. Everyone sets out to find the Duke, and they eventually celebrate the wedding.

Don Quijote: Plot Summary

First Sally:

Once he decides to become a knight-errant, Don Quijote is knighted in an inn he mistakes for a castle. This sally ends with him being beaten by some merchants. Afterward, he returns to his village, where the priest confiscates and burns all books deemed pernicious. Don Quijote then seeks a squire, Sancho Panza.

Second Sally:

Accompanied by Sancho, Don Quijote begins his fictional adventures: fighting windmills he believes are giants, encountering herdsmen, and the adventure of the gallant. Don Quijote remains in Sierra Morena, but when Sancho delivers a letter to his lady, his whereabouts are discovered. The priest and the barber manage to bring Don Quijote back to his village, locked in a cage.