From: Cervantes: Bulletin of the Cervantes Society of America
1.1-2 (1981): 5-6.
Copyright © 1981, The Cervantes Society of America
AM
ACUTELY AWARE that many of you paid dues to the Society in its first
year and again in 1980, and that you have paid again in 1981 before getting
this tangible return on your investment. I appreciate very much the confidence
and patience that I have been assuming this represents, and I have done
everything I could to see that the confidence is not misplaced, at least
as far as our bulletin, Cervantes, is concerned.
It seems to me that the profession does not
need just another journal, one in this case restricted to essays on Cervantes.
A good article on Cervantes is probably easier to publish than one on almost
any other author, because of a presumably wider appeal. There is no dearth
of publication possibilities in our field.
I think we have to offer something rather
different, above all something which addresses the peculiar difficulties
of working with an author who generates such a vast and disparate bibliography.
So, in consultation with the Executive Council of the Society, I have established
some priorities for the journal. I solicit particularly studies which will
help us to evaluate and assimilate the materials we need in order to work
responsibly with Cervantes: the present state of studies on a given work,
or the application of an approach or method to Cervantes' works, comparative
reviews of editions, syntheses of recent studies, perhaps multiple reviews
or retrospectives of seminal works of criticism. I would like to provide
space for news and notes on Cervantine activity: conferences, symposia, special
lectures, performances, anniversaries, and so forth, and perhaps information
on major projects underway among the membership. The Editorial Board will
consider all other kinds of articles, but these are the priorities. Communication
between those of us who teach Don Quixote in translation in the context
of English and comparative literature
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FROM THE EDITOR |
Cervantes |
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and those who teach it in Spanish has long been lacking, and I therefore
solicit eagerly the contributions of both of these groups to the pages of
Cervantes.
I hope you will find that the contents of the
first issue reflect our special needs and interests. Canavaggio's study,
which appeared previously in French and has had limited circulation, involves
the intersection of Cervantes' life and his art, and thus seemed particularly
appropriate for a journal devoted to both. Percas' and Mancing's contributions
represent the kind of varied approach to a single critical issue —in
this case the discrimination among the different narrators in Don
Quijote— that we seek to encourage. The exchange between El Saffar
and Bandera exemplifies the critical dialogue that I had hoped our Society
and our journal could foster.
Avalle-Arce's comments on a novela,
Murillo's search for origins, Wardropper's fresh look at an entremés
embody the variety that I hope will continue to characterize the numbers
of Cervantes.
I am excited about the possibilities of our
journal. We have a distinguished Advisory Council and a most capable group
of Associate Editors. Tom Lathrop has produced a handsome first issue. All
of these people have been very helpful in getting Cervantes started.
I must thank also Dr. Charles Sidman, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
and Sciences of the University of Florida, for his encouragement and financial
support during this crucial initial period. But the success of
Cervantes depends ultimately on the participation of the membership:
on your contributions to the contents. Please send me your comments and news,
tell your friends and colleagues what we are doing, and send me your manuscripts.
I can assure you of an expeditious reading and response.
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