Resumen de El antiutopismo en Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda: Cervantes y el cervantismo actual
Nicholas Spadaccini, David Castillo
In this essay we problematize the traditional critical view of Persiles as a Christian romance inspired by the principles of the Counterreformation Instead, we propose an interpretation of the novel as an ¿allegory of cultural difference,¿ and also as a startling critique of Counterreformation and imperial utopias. Our thesis involves a rethinking of the function of allegory in Persiles in the context of a discussion of Renaissance literary and artistic experiments, from anamorphosis to mannerism. We argue that Cervantes¿s use of the allegorical form is aligned with a mannerist aesthetic broadly understood as the experimentation with multiple and unstable points of view and a rejection of mimetic illusionism. Also, while the basic story line of Persiles is built on a striking perversion of the peregrination motif, Cervantes¿s exploration of religious and cultural syncretism, his portrayal of Spain and especially Rome as sites of meaningless violence, and his poignant use of irony reinforce the novel¿s critique of Counterreformation ideology.
