La prudencia de Cortés: teoría política y práctica retórica en la Historia de la conquista de México de Antonio de Solís
The Historia de la conquista de México, published by Antonio de Solís in 1684, and later extensively reissued and translated, has been praised for the ‘elegance’ and ‘sweetness’ of its style. From very early on these qualities made the Historia to be read as a prose model worthy of imitation. Different scholars have studied Solís's sources and the way he manipulated them on the one hand, and, on the other, the extent of the reliability of his account. However, very little has been said about the actual writing practices of the Historia in the context of contemporary historiographical theories, or the author's own ideas about history or politics. This paper analyzes how some of these rhetorical techniques (I particularly focus on the use of oratio figurata, sententia, and epiphoneme) gave shape to Solís's political ideas, in particular the concept of prudence.
The Je-Ne-Sais-Quoi in Early Modern Europe: Encounters with a Certain Something
PART I: WORD HISTORY 1. A Modish Name PART II: CRITICAL HISTORIES 2. A Secret of Nature? Descartes and the Philosophers 3. The Stroke of Passion: Pascal and the Poets 4. A Sign of Quality: Bouhours and the Polite Circle PART III: PRE-HISTORY 5. A Certain Something: Montaigne 6. Beyond Pre-history: The Case of Shakespeare
The Mexican Understanding of Realism and Naturalism
It has long been understood that the acceptance of Realist and Naturalist principles in Mexican fiction was modified by some objections to these new ideas regarding what the novel should be. These objections established a kinship between Mexican novelists and Spanish writers of the same period. More often than not, when this subject has been discussed, some reference has been made to the Hispanic religious tradition, but I know of no place where the attitude of Mexican literary men is discussed in detail. At the same time, more than one writer has referred to the continuation of certain characteristics of Romanticism within the Mexican novel of Realism. Although the enquirer may find a few references or inferences concerning the congeniality of the Mexican character and Romanticism, I believe that these vague suggestions could hardly be accepted as satisfactory explanations of the mixture of Romanticism and Realism which is evident in the novels of the late nineteenth century. In view of the fact that Realist and Naturalist influences entered Mexican literature at a time when writers were seeking a more national expression in literature, and when accurate and full description of the social milieu would produce politically important commentary, it seems well to give some very serious consideration to the Mexican attitude toward these literary intentions. The earliest obvious place to expect a good deal of attention to Realism would be in Altamirano's Renacimiento. He certainly made it amply clear that foreign works could be properly used as models without requiring imitation. And he was explicit with regard to the suitability of Mexican subject matter. In general, Altamirano's predecessors in the novel had not m de use of the material surrounding them because they believed that Mexican society offered no interesting themes. This b lief continued to exist for many years fter 1869, the period of El Renacimiento. Even near the end of the century, when a greater number of writers expressed the opposit view, they did it cautiously and somewhat defensively. These factors, combined with Altamirano's costumbrista tendency as a creative writer, would seem to direct him toward Flaubert's Realism. But instead, it was Dickens to whom he looked as a proper guide. His reasons are clear enough. Dickens presented an accurate picture of English society. He belabored vice and exalted virtue. He avoided scenes