The Cervantes Encyclopedia [Hardcover]

Howard Mancing (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313306958 | ISBN-13: 978-0313306952 | Publication Date: December 30, 2003

Cervantes is undoubtedly one of the world's most influential authors. While scholars continue to debate his role as the inventor of the novel, readers have found centuries of entertainment and inspiration in his works. Don Quixote contains one of the most memorable characters in all of literature and forever shaped the course of literary history and popular culture. This reference is a comprehensive guide to Cervantes' stunning achievements. Included are hundreds of alphabetically arranged entries on his works, characters, and allusions, historical persons who figured prominently in his life and works, concepts and terms central to his literary career, and authors, artists, and musicians who were influenced by his writings.

While many of the entries are succinct, others provide detailed plot summaries. Each entry closes with a brief bibliography. A chronology and a selected, general bibliography of major editions and critical studies are included.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mancing, a widely published scholar whose work primarily covers sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spanish literature, has produced an encyclopedia focused solely on Cervantes. There are two other Cervantes encyclopedias, but both are in Spanish.

The Cervantes Encyclopedia endeavors to put Cervantes and his works into, as Mancing states in the introduction, "a series of contexts: historical, cultural, personal, literary, critical, textual and intertextual." All the characters from all of Cervantes' works are identified, as are all the historic figures, whether associated with Cervantes or alluded to in his works. In addition, religious and mythological allusions, important episodes from Don Quixote, major influences by and on Cervantes, and some aspects of modern scholarship are covered in a single A-Z order. Particular attention is paid to subsequent literature inspired in some way by Cervantes, with entries for Woody Allen, Jane Austen, and Paul Auster, to give just a few examples.

As Mancing is the sole author, there is a near-perfect level of consistency in how the articles are written and how the overall work is structured. There are some slightly peculiar rules as to how the information is arranged, but all is clearly laid out in the introduction. Fictional characters like Sancho Panza are alphabetized by first name, while real people are listed last name, first name. Many of the articles have bibliographies, and though the emphasis is on English-language sources, a number of the cited items are in Spanish. A chronology of events in Cervantes' life precedes the entries, and there are a selected bibliography and a lengthy index at the end of the second volume. The slick cover can give the superficial impression that this is a high-school rather than academic source, but in fact it is quite scholarly. For academic and large public libraries where there is an interest in Cervantes or Spanish literature in general, this is a fine choice. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Professor Mancing and his publishers are to be congratulated on an encyclopedia which is clearly laid out and a delight to browse. The attractively illustrated covers ... encourage the reader to delve into this treasure house of information ... [It] is clearly aimed at university and college libraries. It deserves a place too on the shelves of the large general reference library as well as the library of the serious academic. Truly a significant volume to mark the 400th anniversary of the adventures of the ingenious nobleman on the plains of La Mancha!"-Reference Reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 864 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood (December 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313306958
• ISBN-13: 978-0313306952
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Literature

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent references, March 13, 2009

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Steven Barr "LApuppet" (Topanga, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from:

The Cervantes Encyclopedia

: The Cervantes Encyclopedia: Volume II, L-Z (Hardcover)

Excellent reference guide to anything connected to Cervantes. Inspiring, clear, thorough and packed full of the kind of information that indirectly or directly contributes to the whole enchalada-- or Gazpacho-- of knowledge around Cervantes and Quixote. A must for all inspired researchers of any age.