" Bullfighting is very popular in Spain, but among the English upper class, there are few who do not feel a little ashamed to confess his love for a genre cruel spectacle. So look for more serious reasons to justify it. First of all is a national holiday. The word "national" enough by itself, as the patriotism of coffee is so strong in Spain and France. Then they say "the Romans were even more barbarians that we, as men were fighting against men. " Finally, economists add, agriculture takes advantage of this custom, because the high price of fighting bulls induces many cattle owners to raise . "
Wrapped in the current controversy over the validity of bullfighting in Catalonia, the beginning of the letter I, "Bullfights " by Prosper Mérimée, written in Madrid on October 25, 1830, belonging to "Letters from Spain " remains valid without further changes to replace references " the English upper class " by other human categories and update the reference to the Romans, by the English, for example.
During the nineteenth century visited Spain a number of passengers "romantic" that offered the country, landscape and its residents a topical or scenic view, the more often the product of imagination rather than judicious observation of reality. It is therefore wise annotation Corpus Barga when he writes that these passengers, mainly British and French, who went to Italy, Spain and Greece to find impressions, did not want to be writers but "anachronistic" sought in these countries, fingerprints, traces of the past. As for the living were satisfied with the nature 1.
A different case is that of Prosper Merimee, author of the myth of "Carmen", the only universal figure of English women. Mérimée come to Spain for the first time in 1830, almost by accident (I was going to Italy in the event that the Fernandinos not let him go through his affiliation liberal), plus had the advantage over other romantic travelers know well the English language and being possessed of boundless curiosity leads him to seek in our country more than the "local color." A Mérimée interested in all of our country, its culture, customs, cuisine, its people. Wine, as Unamuno said, looking for "strong and simple character impressions, feral and whole" 2 . Mérimée
When it comes to Madrid in his first trip to Spain (after traveling six times) spends her time between theater, that bullfighting then they're mad (" is the most beautiful sight you can see " writes Albert friend Stapfer assume) and museums (feels admiration for Velázquez and Murillo). In its subsequent move to Andalusia friendships and work related to both the aristocracy and gentry as with the common people. In domestic travel, using the media of the time, in care of mules, horse, mule, donkey rides and even shares a ranch sales to carriers, smugglers, fighters, sheriffs, innkeepers and other "people of the bronze "that appreciates, not distance, its rude and primitive passions naive 3 . While traveling, studying the country and walks among men, made enduring friendship with the Countess de Montijo and her daughters Paca, who habríade be Duchess of Alba, and Eugenie, Empress of the French future and Estébanez Serafin Calderon the author of "Scenes Andalusia."
Spain and especially Andalusia, Mérimée fascinated from his first voyage. The French writer considered our country as their second homeland "of predilection mon pays." Then, without leaving the country, writes about what he sees. His "Letters from Spain , five in total, dating from 1830 and 1831 are published soon in the Revue de Paris. Today, one hundred and eighty years later, is a delight to read in the edition I have in my hands from the Collection Travelers Renaissance Publishing 4 preceded two separate introductions of Hippolyte Taine, writing in 1873, which contains an exquisite portrait of the author , and Maurice Lavaillant ( Mérimée in Spain 1830-32), interesting and well documented. Although perhaps better, little known, are the two story written by Mérimée completing this issue, the brief " The Pearl of Toledo" (imitated from English) and especially " The Souls of Purgatory" on the figure from Sevilla, Don Juan de Manara, which I imagine does not go unnoticed to the author of Tenorio.
advise the person responsible for this work by Mérimée, complete (and contrast) the reading of this issue with the day of its editorial Aguilar, under the title "Travel to Spain " 5 contains this, plus the Five Letters from Spain, Mérimée correspondence courses from Spain to their friends, from first to seventh trip and the most significant letters written before embarking on every trip and immediately after each return. In them there are many observations, also showing some cotillerías-constant interest Mérimée for a country that permeated very deeply.
Finally, I can not resist the temptation to transcribe the witty dialogue between the traveler on horseback (Mérimée) and a Valencian peasant who accompanies him to stand in their way to Murviedro 6 :
" Vicente, but had run the world, because it was selling horchata in Madrid, had many of the superstitions of his countrymen. He was very devoted, and in the three days we spent together I could see that rarest kind of religion was his. God hardly troubled him, and if he spoke it was with indifference. All his honors were for the saints and mainly to the Virgin which reminded me of those old suitors, masters of their art, for which, according to their maximum, it was better to have friends in the offices that have their own protection minister. To appreciate his devotion to the Virgin, we must bear in mind that in Spain there are various kinds of Virgins. Each city has its own, and mockery of their neighbors. The Lady of Peniscola, a village where he was born the Honourable Vincent, was worth more, he says, that all other boards.
"But one day I said," is that many virgins?
"Of course, each province has its own.
"And how many there are in heaven?
The question, obviously upset him, but the catechism came to his aid.
"There's a" he said, with the uncertainty of the man who repeats a phrase that does not understand.
"Well," I continued, "if you break a leg, is addressed to the Virgin from heaven or elsewhere to fix it?
"To the Blessed Virgin Mary Our Lady of Peniscola, of course,
- Why not Pilar de Zaragoza, which makes so many miracles?
- Takes! Because only protects Aragonese!
Try attacking his flank, the love of the homeland.
"If the Virgin of Peniscola is mightier than the Pillar, this shows that the people of Valencia are in worse condition than the Aragonese, since they need a patron so powerful to get them to forgive their sins.
"Oh, sir, the Aragonese no better than the other: what happens is that we, the people of Valencia, we know the power of Our Lady of Peniscola, and sometimes have great confidence in her.
- Tell me, Vincent: Do not you think that Our Lady of Peniscola Valencia talks with God when we pray to His Divine Majesty not to punish the misdeeds of you?
- Valencia? No, sir, "replied sharply. Too know your worship to the Virgin spoke language.
"I really do not know. Latin
"Well, of course."
If non e vero, e ben trovato
Manuel Martínez Bargueño
January, 2010.
Wrapped in the current controversy over the validity of bullfighting in Catalonia, the beginning of the letter I, "Bullfights " by Prosper Mérimée, written in Madrid on October 25, 1830, belonging to "Letters from Spain " remains valid without further changes to replace references " the English upper class " by other human categories and update the reference to the Romans, by the English, for example.
During the nineteenth century visited Spain a number of passengers "romantic" that offered the country, landscape and its residents a topical or scenic view, the more often the product of imagination rather than judicious observation of reality. It is therefore wise annotation Corpus Barga when he writes that these passengers, mainly British and French, who went to Italy, Spain and Greece to find impressions, did not want to be writers but "anachronistic" sought in these countries, fingerprints, traces of the past. As for the living were satisfied with the nature 1. A different case is that of Prosper Merimee, author of the myth of "Carmen", the only universal figure of English women. Mérimée come to Spain for the first time in 1830, almost by accident (I was going to Italy in the event that the Fernandinos not let him go through his affiliation liberal), plus had the advantage over other romantic travelers know well the English language and being possessed of boundless curiosity leads him to seek in our country more than the "local color." A Mérimée interested in all of our country, its culture, customs, cuisine, its people. Wine, as Unamuno said, looking for "strong and simple character impressions, feral and whole" 2 . Mérimée
When it comes to Madrid in his first trip to Spain (after traveling six times) spends her time between theater, that bullfighting then they're mad (" is the most beautiful sight you can see " writes Albert friend Stapfer assume) and museums (feels admiration for Velázquez and Murillo). In its subsequent move to Andalusia friendships and work related to both the aristocracy and gentry as with the common people. In domestic travel, using the media of the time, in care of mules, horse, mule, donkey rides and even shares a ranch sales to carriers, smugglers, fighters, sheriffs, innkeepers and other "people of the bronze "that appreciates, not distance, its rude and primitive passions naive 3 . While traveling, studying the country and walks among men, made enduring friendship with the Countess de Montijo and her daughters Paca, who habríade be Duchess of Alba, and Eugenie, Empress of the French future and Estébanez Serafin Calderon the author of "Scenes Andalusia."
Spain and especially Andalusia, Mérimée fascinated from his first voyage. The French writer considered our country as their second homeland "of predilection mon pays." Then, without leaving the country, writes about what he sees. His "Letters from Spain , five in total, dating from 1830 and 1831 are published soon in the Revue de Paris. Today, one hundred and eighty years later, is a delight to read in the edition I have in my hands from the Collection Travelers Renaissance Publishing 4 preceded two separate introductions of Hippolyte Taine, writing in 1873, which contains an exquisite portrait of the author , and Maurice Lavaillant ( Mérimée in Spain 1830-32), interesting and well documented. Although perhaps better, little known, are the two story written by Mérimée completing this issue, the brief " The Pearl of Toledo" (imitated from English) and especially " The Souls of Purgatory" on the figure from Sevilla, Don Juan de Manara, which I imagine does not go unnoticed to the author of Tenorio.
advise the person responsible for this work by Mérimée, complete (and contrast) the reading of this issue with the day of its editorial Aguilar, under the title "Travel to Spain " 5 contains this, plus the Five Letters from Spain, Mérimée correspondence courses from Spain to their friends, from first to seventh trip and the most significant letters written before embarking on every trip and immediately after each return. In them there are many observations, also showing some cotillerías-constant interest Mérimée for a country that permeated very deeply.
Finally, I can not resist the temptation to transcribe the witty dialogue between the traveler on horseback (Mérimée) and a Valencian peasant who accompanies him to stand in their way to Murviedro 6 :
" Vicente, but had run the world, because it was selling horchata in Madrid, had many of the superstitions of his countrymen. He was very devoted, and in the three days we spent together I could see that rarest kind of religion was his. God hardly troubled him, and if he spoke it was with indifference. All his honors were for the saints and mainly to the Virgin which reminded me of those old suitors, masters of their art, for which, according to their maximum, it was better to have friends in the offices that have their own protection minister. To appreciate his devotion to the Virgin, we must bear in mind that in Spain there are various kinds of Virgins. Each city has its own, and mockery of their neighbors. The Lady of Peniscola, a village where he was born the Honourable Vincent, was worth more, he says, that all other boards.
"But one day I said," is that many virgins?
"Of course, each province has its own.
"And how many there are in heaven?
The question, obviously upset him, but the catechism came to his aid.
"There's a" he said, with the uncertainty of the man who repeats a phrase that does not understand.
"Well," I continued, "if you break a leg, is addressed to the Virgin from heaven or elsewhere to fix it?
"To the Blessed Virgin Mary Our Lady of Peniscola, of course,
- Why not Pilar de Zaragoza, which makes so many miracles?
- Takes! Because only protects Aragonese!
Try attacking his flank, the love of the homeland.
"If the Virgin of Peniscola is mightier than the Pillar, this shows that the people of Valencia are in worse condition than the Aragonese, since they need a patron so powerful to get them to forgive their sins.
"Oh, sir, the Aragonese no better than the other: what happens is that we, the people of Valencia, we know the power of Our Lady of Peniscola, and sometimes have great confidence in her.
- Tell me, Vincent: Do not you think that Our Lady of Peniscola Valencia talks with God when we pray to His Divine Majesty not to punish the misdeeds of you?
- Valencia? No, sir, "replied sharply. Too know your worship to the Virgin spoke language.
"I really do not know. Latin
"Well, of course."
If non e vero, e ben trovato
Manuel Martínez Bargueño
January, 2010.
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NOTES
1. Corpus Barga. "Madrid Walks." Editing Arturo Ramos. The paperback book. 5050 English Literature Alianza editorial. 2002.
2. Quote de Unamuno in "Travel to Spain" Prosper Mérimée. Aguilar, 1988, p.11p.117.
3 Hippolyte Taine writes in the foreword that appears in this edition of Letters from Spain that his way of speaking "slang" caused the astonishment of the Gypsies.
4. Prosper Merimee Letters from Spain. The library travelers. Renaissance 2005.
5. " Travel to Spain" Prosper Mérimée. Aguilar, 1988.
6. I have corrected some typos that appear in the edition of Renaissance showing poor proofreading: "I" (for "can"), "love" (for "love").
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