Don Quijote

[Paul Mackin]

On Fri, 2004-03-26 at 10:58, The Great Quail wrote:

> For instance, in Book II, DQ and Sancho run into a Morisco -- a Christian of
> Moorish descent. Like all Moriscos, he has recently been forced to leave the
> country. Now, while Cervantes is *clearly* showing him to be a good guy, and
> his presence in the book is *clearly* intended to show that this may be an
> unwise policy, at several points, the Morisco explains that the policy is
> overall actually very fair, etc. etc.
> 
> Now, of course I realize that Cervantes had to put this speech in his mouth,
> or he might not have been allowed to publish his book. But that doesn't mean
> I have to enjoy it: its is obsequious, hard-to-swallow, and it grates on me.

You really surprise me here, because I find passages such as this one,
with their dry, understated humor, entirely charming. They are sad,
poignant, funny and human. 

Don't know about how the censors saw it.

> Imagine reading a book written in the American 1800s that has a sympathetic
> Black character whose story is intended to show that maybe slavery may be a
> bad thing, but at several points the character himself justifies it: "But I
> understand why slavery is the law, after all, it is correct to consider us
> inhuman, as many slaves are brutal and heathenish; but in my personal case,
> it is unfair, although I am not complaining."

In the hands of a Cervantes, your imaginary book might read quite well.

> Is it just "PC" to find this offensive and artificial? Of course, you can
> look at the overall text and say, "For its time it was trying to do some
> good." Well, I understand that, but it still reflects a mindset in a
> particular way that I find off-putting.

But we don't always read, do we, to find evidence of progressive
thinking in our predecessors?

Sorry to be so contrary.