Cervantes, Literature and the Discourse of Politics

What is the role of literature in the formation of the state? Anthony J. Cascardi takes up this fundamental question in Cervantes, Literature, and the Discourse of Politics, a comprehensive analysis of the presence of politics in Don Quixote. Cascardi argues that when public speech is constrained, as it was in seventeenth-century Spain, politics must be addressed through indirect forms including comedy, myth, and travellers', Literature, and the Discourse of Politics convincingly re-engages the ancient roots of political theory in modern literature by situating Cervantes within a long line of political thinkers. Cascardi notably connects Cervantes's political theory to Plato's, much as the writer's literary criticism has been firmly linked to Aristotle's. He also shows how Cervantes's view of literature provided a compelling alternative to the modern, scientific politics of Machiavelli and Hobbes, highlighting the potential interplay of literature and politics in an ideal state.Author: Anthony J. Cascardi,author Contributors: Anthony J. Cascardi,author Binding: paperback Publication Date: Release Date: Languages: English,Published,English,Original Language,Englis Edition: First Edition Published/Release Date: 19 Nov 2011 Format: Paperback / softback Publisher/Studio/Brand: University of Toronto Press Author/Director/Artist: Anthony J. Cascardi Dimension (cm): 229x152x22 mm Package Dimension (cm): 25x221x152 mm Item Weight (g): 544 Package Weight (g): 386