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Cervantes followed Avellaneda's Part II with part II of his own. Both authors engaged in bitter attacks which suggest that more than rivalry existed between them. Herein lies a mystery that has not been unraveled. Although both writers heaped much abuse on the other and left tracks for us to follow, little is known as to why or how they came to be such enemies. While Cervantes was well known (although little respected) as a writer, Avellaneda was an unknown who suddenly appeared in print. Considering this, perhaps Cervantes was much more astute in the ways of business and publishing than the knowing ones allow.
Cervantes' great book is certainly the father of the novel as we know it. He used the classical elements of writing; 1) plot, 2) setting, 3) conflict, 4) characterization, 5) theme, 6) style 7) effect, 8) point of view and 9) mood.(note 2). While Avellaneda used these same elements of style, he receives no credit. In fact only speculation meets our question as to who was this man? For this we must solve an enigma that has, like a Salvador Dali masterpiece, no beginning or end.
Consider. When Cervantes offered his Don Quixote Part I to the publisher, he got next to nothing in exchange for publishing rights. In 1605, copyright laws were nonexistent and authors received nothing for books that were translated and sold in other countries. Cervantes, recognizing that he had done a bad business deal in signing away his rights to Don Quixote - Part I, was not to be denied profits from his later efforts. How best to accomplish this?
In recognition that rivalry almost guarantees success in promoting effective marketing of new products (a lesson not lost on today's businessmen and their advertising gurus), Perhaps Cervantes wrote two versions of Part II. The first version was written by a "straw-man" Alonso Avellaneda, in reality a pen name taken by Cervantes.
The spurious continuation of Miguel de Cervantes' Part I appeared and caught the reader's attention as a continuing saga of abuse and scorn were heaped on poor Sancho. And, if not enough, the knight-errant was made to appear even more mad than had he in Part I. As Part II ends, Sancho and his wife were dismissed to a life of leisure, not unlike Rozinante being put to pasture. However Avellaneda, not unlike Cervantes, challenged writers to add to Sancho's character in another book (--- I shall leave the events that happened to the good, innocent married couple for the story that will be made of them in time, for they are such that they alone require a large book. Chapter XXXV, Avellaneda's Don Quixote). And in addressing our hero, Avellaneda leaves Don Quixote (as Don Quixote or some other imagined knight) in an insane asylum (but suggest that he might emerge to engage in further madness.) In conclusion, again not unlike Cervantes, Avellaneda wrote, " ... he (Don Quixote) went through Salamanca, Avila, and Valladolid, calling himself the Knight of Hardships, for the celebration of which hardships a better pen will surely not be lacking."
Of course the book trade picked up on this version, and success was achieved. Good for the reader, the printer, the distributor and best of all for the writer, an unknown from Tordesillas. Avellaneda in his conclusion challenged someone to pick up pen and follow with further tales of the "madman." He carefully did not lay him in his grave.
But Cervantes, alias Avellaneda, left many puzzles, twist of words, enigmas, and puns to amuse and confuse the reader. Nowhere is this more evident when as others have said, the events of Avellaneda's and Cervantes' Part II are intertwined, as if each had knowledge of the other's work prior to either having appeared in print.
Some reviews of the work of Cervantes and that of Avellaneda have pointed out the difference in writing based on religion. While Cervantes' tales take little from the Church in the expressions of either Quixote or Sancho, Avellaneda has them speak quite frequently and knowingly of Biblical characters and the practices of the Catholic Church as well as comments regarding the Reformation. This is used to mark a distinction between the two writers. However, in Avellaneda's preface, he makes reference to Cervantes having "taken refuge in the sanctuary of the Church." Where better to resource the material for a book? If Cervantes wanted to write a book and attribute it to Avellaneda this is as it should have been.
Two stories as told by Sancho, can be used as proof that Cervantes and Avellaneda were of the same mind and in fact, one and the same author. The translation by Peter Motteux is used as it provides color in the story, a version disdained by current translators who strive for exactness in wordsmithing rather than satisfaction in the spinning of the tale. The translation by Alberta Wilson Server and John Esten Keller of Avellaneda's Part II is the only one currently available in English.
Don Quixote, Chapter VI. Of a wonderful adventure atchiev'd by the valorous Don Quixote de la Mancha; The like never compass'd with less danger by any of the most famous knights in the world (The Fulling Mills). -- Cervantes
....."Sir, quoth Sancho, I'm wo'fully frighted, and have no Heart to tell Stories; however, I'll do my best; and now I think on't there's one come into my Head, which if I can but hit on't right, and nothing happen to put me out, is the best Story you ever heard in your Life; therefore listen, for I'm going to begin. In the Days of yore, when it was as it was, Good betide us all, and Evil to him that Evil seeks. And here, Sir, you are to take notice that they of old did not begin their Tales in an ordinary Way; for t'was a Saying of a wise Man whom they call'd Cato, the Roman Tonsor,* that said, Evil to him that Evil seeks, which is as pat for your Purpose as a ring for the Finger, that you may neither meddle nor make, nor seek Evil and Mischief for the nonce, but rather get out of Harm's way, for no Body forces us to run into the Mouth of all the Devils in Hell that wait for us yonder. Go on with the Story, Sancho, cry'd Don Quixote, and leave the rest to My Discretion. I say then, quoth Sancho, that in a Country-Town in Estremadura, there liv'd a certain Shepherd, Goat-herd I should have said; which Goat-herd, as the Story has it, was called Lope Ruyz; and this Lope Ruyz was in Love with a Shepherdess, whose Name was Toralva, the which Shepherdess, whose Name was Toralva, was the Daughter of a wealthy Grazier, and this wealthy Grazier - If thou goest on at this rate, cry'd Don Quixote, and mak'st so many needless Repetitions, thou'lt not have told thy Story these two Days. Pr'ythee tell it concisely, and like a Man of Sense, or let it alone. I tell it you, quoth Sancho, as all Stories are told in our Country, and I can't for the Blood of me tell it any other way, nor is it fit I should alter the Custom. Why then tell it how thou wilt, reply'd Don Quiixote, since my ill Fortune forces me to stay and hear thee. Well then, Dear Sir, quoth Sancho, as I was saying, this same Shepherd, Goat-herd I should have said, was woundily in Love with that same Shepherdess Toralva, who was a well-truss'd, round, crummy, strapping Wench, coy and froppish, and somewhat like a Man, for she had a kind of Beard on her upper Lip; methinks I see her now standing before me. Then I suppose thou knew'st her, said Don Quixote. Not I, answer'd Sancho, I ne'er set Eyes on her in my Life; but he that told me the Story said this was so true, that I might vouch it for a real Truth, and even swear I had seen it all my self. Well,-- but, as you know, Days go and come, and Time and Straw makes Medlars ripe; so it happen'd that after several Days coming and going, the Devil, who seldom lies dead in a Ditch, but will have a Finger in every Pye, so brought it about, that the Shepherd fell out with his Sweetheart, insomuch that the Love he bore her turn'd into Dudgeon and Ill-will; and the Cause was, by report of some mischievous Tale-carriers that bore no good Will to either Party, for that the Shepherd thought her no better than she should be, a little loose i'the Hilts, and free of her Hips. Thereupon being grievous in the Dumps about it, and now bitterly hating her, he e'en resolv'd to leave that Country to get out of her Sight: For now, as every Dog has his Day, the Wench perceiving he came no longer a Suitering to her, but rather toss'd his Nose at her, and shunn'd her, she began to love him and doat upon him like any thing. That's the Nature of Women, cry'd Don Quixote, not to Love when we Love them, and to Love when we Love them not. But go on - The Shepherd then gave her the slip, continu'd Sancho, and driving his Goats before him, went trudging through Estremadura, in his Way to Portugal. But Toralva, having a long Nose, soon smelt his Design, and then what does she do, think ye, but comes after him bare-foot and bare-legg'd, with a Pilgrim's Staff in her Hand, and a Wallet at her Back, wherein they say she carry'd a Piece of a Looking-Glass, half a Comb, a broken Pot with Paint, and I don't know what other Trinkums Trankums to prink her self up. But let her carry what she wou'd, 'tis no Bread and Butter of mine; the short and the long is, That they say the Shepherd with his Goats got at last to the River Guadiaua, which happen'd to be overflow'd at that time, and what's worse than ill Luck, there was neither Boat nor Bark to ferry him over; which vex'd him the more because he perceiv'd Toralva at his Heels, and he fear'd to be teaz'd and plagu'd with her Weeping and Wailing. At last he spy'd a Fisher-man, in a little Boat, but so little it was, that it would carry but one Man and one Goat at a time. Well, for all that, he call'd to the Fisher-man, and agreed with him to carry him and his three hundred Goats over the Water. The Bargain being struck, the Fisher-man came with his Boat, and carry'd over one Goat; then he row'd back and fetch'd another Goat, and after that another Goat. Pray Sir, quoth Sancho, be sure you keep a good Account how m'ny Goats the Fisher-man ferries over; for if you happen but to miss one, my Tale's at an end, and the Devil a Word I have more to say. Well then, whereabouts was I? - Ho! I ha't - Now the Landing-Place on the other side was very Muddy and Slippery, which made the Fisher-man be a long while in going and coming; yet for all that, he took Heart o'Grace, and made shift to carry over one Goat, then another, and then another. Come, said Don Quixote, we'll suppose he has landed them all on the other side of the River; for as thou goest on One by One we shall not have done these twelve Months. Pray, let me go on in my own Way, quoth Sancho. How many Goats are got over already? Nay, how the Devil can I tell, r-ply'd Don Quixote! There it is! quoth Sancho; Did not I bid you keep Count? On my Word the Tale is at an end, and now you may go whistle for the rest. Ridiculous, cry'd Don Quixote: Pr'ythee is there no going on with the Story unless I know exactly how many Goats are wafted over? No marry is there not, quoth Sancho, for as soon as you answer'd, that you could not tell, the rest of the Story quite and clean slipp'd out of my Head; and Troth 'tis a thousand Pities, for 'twas a special one. So then, cry'd Don Quixote, the Story's ended. Ay marry is it, quoth Sancho, 'tis no more to be fetch'd to Life than my dead Mother. Upon my Honour, cry'd Don Qitixote, a most extraordinary Story, and told and concluded in as extraordinary a manner!"....... >P> ***
Don Quixote, Chapter XXI. How the Canons and city officials took leave of Don
Quixote and his companions, and what happened later to him and to Sancho with
them.
(Tales of the soldier, hermit and Sancho Panza) Alonso Fernandez de
Avellaneda.
"I promise you, gentlemen," said Sancho, "that you are touching a note to which more than two dozen flutes will reply, because I know the finest stories imaginable. If you like, I'll tell you one ten times better than those already told, although it's shorter and more truthful."
"Go on, you big animal!" said Don Quixote. "What can you tell, that will be worth hearing? You will vex me and these gentlemen with nonsense lust as you vexed me that time in the woods where I encountered six valiant giants in the shape of fulling-mills with the stupid story about Lope Ruiz, a goatherd from Extremadura, and his shepherdess Torralba, a vagabond so in love with his attributes that she followed him from Portugal to the banks of the Guadiana River, after acknowledging her love for him, and tearful because of the sniveling disdain with which he treated her (the usual effect of love on women, who flee when they are sought and seek when they are rejected). There your story, like his goats, got mired, and so did my nose, with the bad odor with which you boldly perfumed it."
"Well, it was a very bad story," said Sancho. "Upon my word, I am delighted that you remember the details so well that by them and those of the story I'll now relate, you will recognize the difference between them, if you'll all grant me a welcome silence."
They all begged Don Quixote to let him tell his story, and permission being granted, he began to speak in an affected tone of voice, "Once upon a time there was, well and good, let the future be good for everybody and the bad be for the abbot's mistress, chills and fever for the curate's lady-friend, a pain in the side for the vicar's housekeeper, and epilepsy for the red-haired sacristan, hunger and pestilence for all who are opponents of the Church."
"Didn't I say so? said Don Quixote. "This jackass is a disgrace to good people and will say nothing but foolish things. Just look at the devilish harangue he has selected for his story, as long as Lent!"
"Well, are herrings bad for it, by the body of my coat?" said Sancho.
"Don't stop me and you'll see that I know what I'm talking about. I was engrossed in the best part of my story and now you have driven it out of my head. By Barrabas! Listen, if you will, for I have listened to all of you. As I say, going back to my story, my dear gentlemen, once upon a time there was a king and a queen, and this king and this queen were in their kingdom, and everybody called the male 'king' and the female queen.' This king and this queen had a room as large as the one my master Don Quixote has for Rocinante in my village. There the king and queen kept many yellow and white reales, so many of them that they reached the ceiling. Days came and went, and the king said to the queen, 'Now you see, queen of this king, how much money we have. How do you think we should use it so that in a short time we could earn much more and buy new kingdoms?' The queen told the king at once, King and lord, I think the thing for us to do is buy some sheep.' The king said, 'No, queen, it would be better to buy oxen.' 'No, king,' said the queen. 'If you'll think it over thoroughly you'll see that we should buy cloth and take it to the Toboso fair.' They kept on discussing various plans, the queen saying no to everything the king said, and the king saying no to everything the queen said. At the bitter end both agreed that it would be best to take the money to Old Castile or the Tierra de Campos, where there were many geese which they could purchase for two reales each and so invest their money. The queen, who had advised this, added, 'And when they are bought we'll take them to Toledo, where they are sold for four reales; in a few trips we'll infinitely multiply our money in a short time.' Finally the king and queen took all their money to Castile on carts, carriages, coaches, litters, horses, pack animals, male and female, mules, donkeys and other people of the sort."
"They must all have been of your caliber," said Don Quixote. "God curse you and anyone with patience enough to listen to you'."
"Now that's the second time you've interrupted me," replied Sancho. "I believe it's because of envy of the seriousness of the story and the elegant way I'm relating it; if that's so, consider it finished. "
They implored Don Quixote not to allow this and urgently begged Sancho to continue. He did so and because he was in a good humor said, "Gentlemen, consider how many geese the king and queen must have purchased with so much money. I am certain that there were so many they occupied more than twenty leagues. In short, Spain was as full of geese as the world was with water in Noah's time."
"And if there had been as much fire as at Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities, how would your geese have come out, Senor Panza?" said Bracamonte.
"For mine, good and well roasted, Senor Bracarnonte. But that wasn't the way it was, nor does it make any difference to me, for I wasn't involved in it. What I do know is that the king and queen went along the road with them until they came to a huge river.
"Doubtless the Manzanares," said the city official. "Its magnificent bridge in Segovia proves that in ancient times it must have carried a great deal of water."
"I only know," replied Sancho, "that when the king and queen reached its banks there was no way to get across, and one said to the other, 'Now how will we get these geese across? If we turn them loose, they'll go swimrning down the river and the devil from Falermo couldn't catch them. On the other hand, if we try to get them across in boats we couldn't collect them in a year's time.' 'What I think,' said the king, 'is for us to make a wooden bridge right away, so narrow that only one goose at a time can go across. Thus, following each other, they'll neither stray away nor will we have any trouble getting them all across.' The queen praised the plan, and when it was carried out the geese began to cross over, one by one.
At this point, Sancho grew silent. Don Quixote said to him, "Well, go on with them, devil take you, and let's put an end to the crossing and to your story. Why are you stopping? Have you forgotten?'
Sancho did not say a word to his master in reply. The hermit noticed this and said, "Go on with your story, Sancho, for in truth it is a fine one."
He answered this by saying, "Wait, damn it! How impetuous you are! Let the geese get across and the story will continue."
"Let's take it for granted that they're across," replied one of the canons.
"No, sir," said Sancho. "Geese filling twenty leagues of territory don't get across so fast, so accept the fact that I won't go on with my story, nor could I do so with a clear conscience, until the geese, one by one, have reached the other side of the river, which will be in only a couple of years at the most."
***
The first story is from the chapter of Cervantes' tale of the fulling mills. The second from Avellaneda's travels of Quixote and Sancho with the maimed soldier and hermit. The soldier and hermit told stories which were followed by Sancho's tale.
***
The admirer of Don Quixote must consider the writing of Avellaneda as a most entertaining and successful parody (Part II) following Cervantes' Part I and in turn followed by Part III, (called Part II by Cervantes) all from the same author's pen. But is the story ended?
Just as the Broadway play, The Man from La Mancha, revitalized the image of Don Quixote, so should current day writers accept the challenges of Miguel Cervantes and Alonso Avellaneda and build on this lode of literature. It is for the reader to enjoy!
Having had fun with the puzzles created by Cervantes and in recognition that Cervantes credits Cidi Hamete Benengeli as the source of the manuscript, the rather backward historian, Sidi J. Mahtrow has added to the recovery of Don Alonso Quixada from his madness and laid to rest Don Quixote and his fair maiden Dulcinea of Toboso in recording of the final chapters in the life of this most ingenuous knight. (Note, ingenuous not ingenious, i.e., honest not clever. Ingenuousness is the offering of an uncorrupted mind at the shrine of truth (3).)
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(1) Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes. Ozell's revision of the translation of
Peter Motteux, The Modern Library, Random House, 1930.
(2) Don Quixote de La Mancha (Part II) Being the spurious continuation of
Miguel de Cervantes' Part I, Translation and Edition by Alberta Wilson Server
and John Esten Keller, Juan de la Cuesta, Newark, Delaware, 1980.
(3) Crabb's Synonymes, a.k.a. English Synonymes, with Copious Illustrations
and Explanations, Drawn from the best writers. George Crabb. Tenth Edition,
New York, Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 82 Cliff Street. 1849.
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