The Colloquium of the dogs
Within the Exemplary novels by Miguel de Cervantes, the great Spanish writer, the most universal of those who were born on this earth, we are going to focus on the lesson of a PROFESSOR in one of them. Below we see a literary analysis of The Colloquium of the dogs.
On The Colloquium of the dogs There are certain unusual circumstances in Cervantes's work. For example, the fantastic fact that, as the name suggests, the protagonists are two talking dogs. They, from their canine and animal species, are the ones who carry the force of the narrative and, while one offers his account of the events, the other thinks and makes deep philosophical reflections of great interest. Grab a pencil and paper, let's get started!
Literary analysis of.
We have already begun the literary analysis of The Colloquium of the dogs to know briefly what this unique work of Miguel de Cervantes is like:
Argument and summary
The Colloquium of the dogs tells the story of two dogs, known as the Maudes dogs, who are the guardians of the Hospital de la Resurrección in Valladolid. Both have the power to speak, so one of them,
Berganza, tells the story of his life while his companion, Cypion, he listens in silence and casts deep philosophical reflections on the stories told by his canine friend. In this other lesson we will discover a brief summary of The Colloquium of the dogs.Main and secondary characters
Between the main characters, we obviously find Cipión and Berganza, which are the dogs that star in Cervantes's novel. The first is quiet and attentive, the second has had a hard life and has suffered various vicissitudes throughout his existence. We find a large number of secondary characters in the work, since Cervantes offers a rich critical dissection of the Spanish society of the time.
Through, above all, masters and close associates of the Berganza dog, we find figures that represent the worst of the human being of his time, showing his corruption and lack of values in names like Nicolás el Romo, his wife, the bailiff, the clerk, Monipodio, the witches, etc.
Main topic
The main theme of the work is undoubtedly the moral of the time and hypocrisy of his time. We observe a great still life of characters who mistreat, corrupt and allow themselves to be carried away by their lowest passions. We could also talk about a secondary theme, which would be the fight between good and evil.
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Historical and social context of.
We continue to delve into other aspects of the literary analysis of The Colloquium of the dogs no less important:
Historic context
Despite the fantastic touch of telling the story from the point of view of two dogs with the ability to speak, we can contextualize Cervantes's work between the 12 Exemplary novels, little stories that show the daily life of the time with a certain moralizing intention. Although these aspects are not observed in all, this could be considered as a reflection of their time and an interest in discovering what is done well and what is not.
Social context
Curiously, in the work it is taken for granted that dogs are educated and trained beings. That is why it draws attention, because here, it is humans who are uneducated, those who are carried away by the lowest passions and corruption in a context in which Cervantes himself portrays an increasingly decadent social, moral and economically. That is why characters appear directly without culture, and others who appear to have it, but it is not like that.
Style of The Colloquium of the dogs
We observe a narrative style in mainly autobiographical prose within a dialogue between the two dogs. Furthermore, against many of the Exemplary novels, this story is closed, with its exposition, middle and end.
We find a discussion that begins at night, but continues until morning. Both dogs are supposedly calm and released from their duties as hospital guardians.
Figures (edit)
Cervantes uses various figures in his narration, demonstrating a great stylistic richness and an excellent command of the language. We can highlight the parables, metaphors, anecdotes, very predominant in the narrative, irony, allusions, points of view and even personifications.
Final conclusion
Without a doubt, it is one of the Exemplary novels more striking, and not only for the fact of providing the fantasy of two talking dogs, but for showing a society of the time with fine irony, great philosophical charge and seen from the eyes of a different species, the canine, so punished for the wrong doing of so many humans.
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