Reading and interpretation of literature in a Foreign Language
By Jaime Cardoso
Reading literature in a foreign language can be frustrating and could provoke anxiety; however, if the reader has the tools to understand the texts, he/she will enjoy the reading and will improve his/her comprehension. By using this manual, you, the Spanish student, will develop an ability to read complex texts through pre and post reading activities and linguistic exercises. These activities will help you understand, in context, the new vocabulary and expressions. You will be able to focus on the main ideas of the readings, find clues to enhance your understanding of them, and will evaluate your level of comprehension. In addition, they will provide you with basic and complex grammar practice.
The introductions to the texts provide important contextual information about the literary life of the authors, the aesthetics of the epoch (time period) and the historical background of the texts. Later, as a vital element to a thorough understanding, we will discuss the context in which the authors write a novel, poem or play.
A literary text does not directly deliver its message because the author uses figures of speech and the reader has to unveil the meaning. In daily life, when we send a message, we use direct language because we want the recipient to interpret it fast and accurately. In contrast, a literary text requires the reader’s active participation and an intellectual effort. It demands that the reader have the ability to discover clues that will lead to an in-depth interpretation of the text. For example, what are the main ideas in the following text by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra?
“En un lugar de la Mancha, de cuyo nombre no quiero acordarme, no ha mucho tiempo que vivía un hidalgo de los de lanza en astillero, adarga antigua, rocín flaco y galgo corredor. Una olla de algo más vaca que carnero, salpicón las más noches, duelos y quebrantos los sábados, lantejas los viernes, algún palomino de añadidura los domingos, consumían las tres partes de su hacienda. El resto della concluían sayo de velarte, calzas de velludo para las fiestas, con sus pantuflos de lo mesmo, y los días de entresemana se honraba con su vellorí de lo más fino. Tenía en su casa una ama que pasaba de los cuarenta, y una sobrina que no llegaba a los veinte, y un mozo de campo y plaza, que así ensillaba el rocín como tomaba la podadera. Frisaba la edad de nuestro hidalgo con los cincuenta años; era de complexión recia, seco de carnes, enjuto de rostro, gran madrugador y amigo de la caza.”
In this paragraph, the main idea is the description of a man living in a Spanish region called La Mancha. He lives with his niece, a housekeeper, and a stable lad. Specific details refer to the man’s age (fifty), niece (less than twenty), and the housekeeper (more than forty). If the reader captures this information, he/she has gained the main idea of the text. It is obvious that the reader needs to be able to recognize the meaning of the words; however, if he/she does not understand some sentences or even a paragraph, it will not necessarily affect his/her comprehension. Therefore, it is important for the reader to find the essential words, sentences and paragraphs and focus on them. If the reader recognizes the vocabulary in context, he/she will not need the dictionary and will read faster and more efficiently. However, if he/she does not understand an important sentence, it may be necessary to utilize the dictionary as a last resource for looking up the important words such as nouns and verbs. The reader should not look for prepositions, linking words or even adjectives because by knowing the meaning of the nouns and verbs, it will be easy to guess the meaning of the other words. In order to recognize unknown words, you should identify cognates, false cognates, and words with few spelling differences and similar roots in English and in the target language.
Exercise. The next text is an excerpt from Federico García Lorca’s play Bodas de sangre. Use different highlighter colors to underline the cognates, false cognates, and words with few spelling differences and similar roots in English and Spanish.
Habitación pintada de rosa con cobres y ramos de flores populares. En el centro, una mesa con mantel. Es la mañana. SUEGRA DE LEONARDO con un niño en brazos. Lo mece. La MUJER, en la otra esquina, hace punto de media.
SUEGRA.— Nana, niño, nana
del caballo grande
que no quiso el agua.
El agua era negra
dentro de las ramas.
Cuando llega el puente
se detiene y canta.
¿Quién dirá, mi niño,
lo que tiene el agua
con su larga cola
por su verde sala?
MUJER (bajo).— Duérmete, clavel,
que el caballo no quiere beber.
SUEGRA.— Duérmete, rosal,
que el caballo se pone a llorar.
Las patas heridas,
las crines heladas,
dentro de los ojos
un puñal de plata.
Bajaban al río.
¡Ay, cómo bajaban!
La sangre corría
más fuerte que el agua.
MUJER.— Duérmete, clavel,
que el caballo no quiere beber.
SUEGRA.— Duérmete, rosal,
que el caballo se pone a llorar.
MUJER.— No quiso tocar
la orilla mojada,
su belfo caliente
con moscas de plata.
A los montes duros
solo relinchaba
con el río muerto
sobre la garganta.
¡Ay caballo grande
que no quiso el agua!
¡Ay dolor de nieve,
caballo del alba!
As stated before, the reader needs to know that the writer uses figures of speech to deliver the message. It is not the same to say “yo nací en una isla y voy a recitar un poema”, to say the same idea as José Martí in his poem “Versos Sencillos”:
Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma.
Y antes de morirme quiero
Echar mis versos del alma.
The author presents his message in a beautiful form, yet there is a main idea that the reader has to extrapolate and identify in order to comprehend the message.
Exercise. What are the main ideas in the following texts? Underline the key words.
“Es, pues, de saber que este sobredicho hidalgo, los ratos que estaba ocioso, que eran los más del año, se daba a leer libros de caballerías, con tanta afición y gusto, que olvidó casi de todo punto el ejercicio de la caza, y aun la administración de su hacienda. Y llegó a tanto su curiosidad y desatino en esto, que vendió muchas hanegas de tierra de sembradura para comprar libros de caballerías en que leer, y así, llevó a su casa todos cuantos pudo haber dellos…” (Miguel de Cervantes Don Quijote de la Mancha)
“Suplico a Vuestra Merced reciba el pobre servicio de mano de quien lo hiciera más rico si su poder y deseo se conformaran. Y pues V.M. escribe se le escriba y relate el caso por muy extenso, parecióme no tomalle por el medio, sino por el principio, porque se tenga entera noticia de mi persona…” (Lazarillo de Tormes).
In order to avoid confusion, readers should identify when the writer includes a digression in his/her text by following the main idea of the story; for example:
¡Venirme a mí con orgullitos y fantasías, como si no fuera mejor que ella, la muy cómica! ¡Miren el charquito de agua que quiere ser brazo de río! ¡Pues bonita soy yo, la Castellanos!
Y va de digresión. Los maldicientes decían en Lima que, durante los primeros años de su gobierno, el excelentísimo señor virrey don Manuel de Amat y Juniet, caballero del hábito de Santiago y condecorado con un cementerio de cruces, había sido un dechado de moralidad y honradez administrativas. (Ricardo Palma “Bonita soy yo la Castellanos”)
In his short story, Ricardo Palma warns the reader that the next paragraph is a digression (Y va de digresión). However, authors do not commonly notify the reader that there will be a digression. Accordingly, the reader needs to identify them.
Writers also create special effects in their texts by modifying the syntax of the sentences. Example:
Parecer (to look like) quiere el denuedo (intrepidity)
de vuestro parecer (opinión) loco…
(Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz)
In order to create a literary impact, Sor Juana changes the syntax of both stanzas. The normal syntax in this poem would be: Quiere parecer el denuedo / de vuestro loco parecer.
Exercise. In the next texts, identify the syntax changes.
Opinión ninguna gana,
pues la que más se recata, (to act discreetly)
si no os admite, es ingrata (ungrateful)
y si os admite, es liviana. (easy)
(Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz)
Con yo amé dice cualquiera
Esta verdad desolante (devástate):…
Esta verdad desolante (devástate):…
(Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda “Significado de la palabra yo amé”)
On the other hand, students should avoid the translation of the literary texts into English as they read. This will waste time by developing an inefficient reading habit and hinder their ability to think in a foreign language. Imagine this scenario: How long would it take you to translate a chapter of Don Quixote de la Mancha? Imagine this other scenario: How long would it take you to translate a few pages of Hamlet into Spanish? The answer is obvious, an eternity!
Finally, another benefit of reading a literary text and deciphering its context is that it requires that the student read the text aloud. By reading a literary text aloud the student will, in addition to improving reading speed and comprehension, practice their pronunciation. The reader will recognize cognates and new vocabulary because some words will have a similar pronunciation in both English and Spanish. Additionally, by reading aloud, the student will become immersed and gain further appreciation of the story. So, read aloud and enjoy Spanish literature!
How to interpret a literary text
In order to interpret a literary text you need to know the following: first, the context in which the author wrote his/her book; second, the literary strategies he/she used; third a theory to analyze the text.
The Social Context
Before, we talked about the context in which the authors write their books. Indeed, the writer’s epoch, social situation, and aesthetic period impact the production of a novel, a poem or a play. For this reason the students should recognize the social background in which the writer wrote his/her book. For example, how could we understand William Shakespeare’s plays without recognizing the Elizabethan Theatre and European social and aesthetic periods in the XVI and XVII centuries? Certainly, students need information about the reign of Isabel I and the role of the monarchy and aristocracy in the theater in that epoch; the English Renaissance, Jacobean and Caroline Theaters, the first permanent theaters in England, the English Civil War (1642), the English Commonwealth, among other information.
In The Tempest, a well known play by Shakespeare, Prospero Duke of Milan and his daughter Miranda, stay stranded in an island thanks to Prospero’s jealous brother for twelve years. In the island, Prospero helps Ariel. In turn, Ariel becomes Prospero’s loyal spirit. Meanwhile, Caliban is a monster who resides on the island. Prospero and his daughter teach him their language and religion. The monster helps them to survive on the island. Later, the monster becomes a slave and as a result, views his master as an usurper. Afterward, Prospero, with the help of Ariel, sinks his brother, Antonio’s ship. Among the passengers aboard the boat are King Alonso, Sebastian, Ferdinand, relatives of Alonso, and Gonzalo, and Alonso’s advisor. The rest of the people from the shipwreck became the new inhabitants of the island. From here, Shakespeare’s play has three plots. However, with this information we have elements to illustrate how the social context impacted the plot of this famous play.
The first representation of The Tempest was in 1611 but, in celebration of King Jacob’s daughter’s wedding, there was a second representation in 1613. A nuptial mask that Prospero built for Miranda symbolizes the chastity of his daughter, corresponds with the disciplinary character of Jacob I. Prospero’s fights against the curse of a witch coincides with the morbid interest of the King for witchcraft. Beyond the monarchy’s morals and ideology, in the epoch of Elizabethan Theatre, the books of knight, where the magic took and important part, were very popular. Experts called these books romances. In The Tempest’s plot, the play includes magic and sorcery. In addition, the conquest of America inspired writers to include in his/her novels, poems and plays, the new societies, the original cultures, and unique beliefs that Europeans encountered. In The Tempest, Ariel and Caliban represent the culture clash between European and native inhabitants of Caribbean islands. These few examples illustrate how the epoch impacted the famous Shakespearean play.
Similar analysis could be done with books like Don Quixote de la Mancha, included in this manual, written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (the first part published in 1605). When Cervantes wrote his book, Spaniards had rejected the Moors. After almost eight centuries, they arrived at the Iberian Peninsula; Spain possessed ample territories around the world, the Counter- Reformation was a serious concern, the Council of Trent was in process, the Inquisition reinforced the catholic faith, and the country suffered economic struggles. Regarding culture, the Spanish literature was at its peak; it was the period called “Siglo de Oro” (Golden Age), and the literature about knights was popular. Undeniably, this and more factors impacted Cervantes’s master piece. Don Quixote is a polyphonic novel because it addresses multiple topics by using short stories, sayings or adages, poems, popular expressions, etc. The novel, for example, criticizes the popular books of knights, presents episodes of the war against the Moors, portrays the idealism of a country recently born, Spain, and it was a book that the author wrote in accordance with the political and religious principles of the epoch.
Then, you, the reader need to be aware that writers use codes and symbols according to the social and economic situations of society, aesthetics of the epoch, culture, and religion of their time. The introductions and notes in this manual contain facts and data to help you understand the social and cultural background of each text that you will read.
Next is an example of a poem which describes a Mexican village; observe the contextual references.
Pueblo
By Xavier Villaurrutia
Aquel pueblo se quedó soltero
conforme con su iglesia,
embozado en su silencio,
bajo la paja –oro, mediodía-
de su sombrero ancho,
sin nada más:
en las fichas del cementerio
los + son -.
As you can see, this poem has cultural symbols: Mexican villages have at least one church and a cemetery, and farmers use wide hats. The author uses these images to describe a Mexican ghost town.
Exercices. In the next texts, underline the cultural context.
En esto, descubrieron treinta o cuarenta molinos de viento que hay en aquel campo (Miguel de Cervantes Don Quijote de la Mancha).
Estas funciones deben su origen a los moros, y en particular, según dice don Nicolás Fernández de Moratín, a los de Toledo, Córdoba y Sevilla. Estos fueron los primeros que lidiaron toros en público. (Mariano José Larra “Corridas de toros”).
Bajo la luna gitana,
las cosas la están mirando
y ella no puede mirarlas.
(Federico García Lorca “Romance sonámbulo”)
La noche se puso íntima
como una pequeña plaza.
Guardias civiles borrachos
en la puerta golpeaban.
(Federico García Lorca “Romance sonámbulo”)
MUCHACHA 2ª.— Que salga la novia.
MUCHACHA 1ª.— ¡Que salga, que salga!
CRIADA.— ¡Que toquen y repiquen
las campanas!
MOZO 1°.— ¡Que viene aquí! ¡Que sale ya!
CRIADA.— ¡Como un toro, la boda
levantándose está!
(Federico García Lorca Bodas de sangre)
Literary strategies
In a literary work, novel or short story, you will find these elements:
Setting. The setting includes the time, place, customs, beliefs, ideology, etc. in which the story take place.
Characters. The characters in a story can be people, animals or objects. There is a main character or protagonist, and there could be an antagonist.
Theme. Theme is the central idea, the message or the image that the author wants to propose to the reader. During reading, the reader needs to have an active participation in order to capture the theme of the novel, poem or play.
Plot. The plot is a series of events that occur during the story. In its plot, some books present an exposition or introduction of characters, a setting, and a conflict. Then, they complicate the conflict, create suspense, generate a climax, say what happens to the character after climax, and present a resolution to the conflict. Not all books present this elements and sequence of the plot.
Point of view. The narrator can say the story in first or third person. In this last case, the narrator can have an omniscient or limited point of view.
Exercises.
In the setting, characters, theme, plot and point of view, writers use codes and symbols as a way to transmit and communicate their messages. As we discussed before, the strategies they use inexorably reflect the social context in which they write their novel, poem or play. Specifically one instrument they use is the figures of speech. Write your own definition or write an example of the next figures of speech.
Exercises. In the next texts, identify the figures of speech.
1. Erase un hombre a una nariz pegado... (Francisco de Quevedo).
2. La música callada, la soledad sonora (San Juan de la Cruz).
3. Allá en la playa quedó la niña.
¡Arriba el ancla! ¡Se va el vapor!
El marinero canta entre dientes.
Se hunde en el agua trémula el sol.
¡Adiós! ¡Adiós! (Rubén Darío Rima IV).
¡Arriba el ancla! ¡Se va el vapor!
El marinero canta entre dientes.
Se hunde en el agua trémula el sol.
¡Adiós! ¡Adiós! (Rubén Darío Rima IV).
—Mi nombre es Mi. Tengo un par de alas de paloma, y revuelo sobre mis compañeras, desgranando un raudal de trinos de oro. (Rubén Darío Las siete bastardas de Apolo).
4. “…sus palabras mojadas se me echaron al cuello” (Manuel Maples Arce Prisma).
5. Para hablar en inglés es necesario cortarse la mitad de la lengua (Germán List Iturbe Esquina).
6. Aquel pueblo se quedó soltero (Xavier Villaurrutia Pueblo).
7. Los nopales nos sacan la lengua (Salvador Novo Viaje).
8. La del alba sería cuando don Quijote salió de la venta… (Miguel de Cervantes Don Quijote)
Instruments for analyzing a literary text
In addition to the social context and the elements of a novel, short story, poem or play, you should apply a theory to analyze, interpret and recognize or identify the author’s messages. You should use the theories of authors discussed in Humane Letters. For example, in order to talk about Don Quixote, you should select a topic from the multiple themes Cervantes presents in his novel. If you focus in the ideal love of Don Quixote toward Dulcinea, you could use Aristotle’s, Plato’s, Aquinas’s, etc. concept of love. Thus, in order to avoid improvisations and banal occurrences you must support your arguments with concepts well defined and discussed by authors in classic books.
Exercise. As we said before, Don Quixote, is a polyphonic novel in which Cervantes addresses divers topics. Next is a list of some themes that this book contains. Which theories could you use to study them? Think about the authors/books/theories you study in Humane Letters.
Loyalty
Honesty
Madness
Friendship
Humanistic values
Realism versus idealism
Heroism
