Is Lazarillo de Tormes a Subversive Text free essay sample

The word ‘subversion’ is defined as â€Å"a systematic attempt to undermine, overthrow or cause the destruction of an established or legally constituted government or political system. † 1 Lazarillo de Tormes is thought to have been written during 16th century Spain, a time of oppression and exploitation of the lower classes, when survival would often only be rewarded to the most cunning, the slyest and the sharpest of people. In this age, the church reigned, the Spanish Inquisition enforcing the morals and ideals of the Catholic church under the jurisdiction of the Castille-Aragon monarchy. Lazarillo is often accredited as being the basis for the first modern novel and although some may assert that it was written solely with the intention of being a humorous book, I will argue that it is a perfect example of a subversive text. Though oblique, it maintains characteristics stereotypical of subversive literature; such as the use of parody and euphemism to demean the authority of recognised figures 2; in the case of Lazarillo, the church and aristocracy; and the use of self-denunciation as a rhetorical device to allow the anonymous author to subtly manipulate the audience. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Lazarillo de Tormes a Subversive Text? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The content itself is controversial in the way that it shows the less appreciated sides of humanity and illustrates the instability of society and the frivolity of humanity on a whole 3, all the while openly criticizing the church and the notion of honour throughout the ranks of Spanish nobility. Another characteristic of subversive literature is the integration of folkloric and mythical elements into the text 4, a recurring factor in Lazarillo. Ignoring the fact that it is proposed to be both a literary and socially subversive text, considering the status quo in regards to the genre of writing at the time, Lazarillo de Tormes is also literally subversive in the way that it doesn’t conform to the accepted ‘exempla’ genre that was popular back then. We see on multiple occasions in Lazarillo a tendency towards euphemism as a means to deploy underhand comments and subtle hints of resentment towards the institution of the Church and the system of nobility in 16th century Spain. This greatly lends aid to the overall subversiveness of the text and allows the author to convey his contempt for the system without being overly heretical. For example, in the fourth episode, when speaking of his time spent with the Friar, Lazaro relates to us how the Friar didn’t like spending time in the convent, preferring to make personal visits and walk outside and because of this, had ‘broken more shoes’ in the convent than any other. â€Å"Tanto, que pienso que rompia el mas zapatos que todo el convento. 5. This ‘breaking of the shoes’ could easily have been seen in context when taking into consideration the period as a euphemism for having sex with virgins. This alone would have been scandalous as he is a Friar, and has taken an oath of celibacy. However, when recounting that the Friar was housed in a convent, it is unlikely that there would have been a significant amount of virgins waiting around for him to partake in such activities with, which leads us to consider further the use of the verb ‘romper’. Romper’, literally ‘to break’ is a rather violent verb to use in reference to standard heterosexual sex, and when considering that Lazaro also was given a pair of ‘shoes’, perhaps it would be more logical for us to take its meaning as sodomy. We can confirm this when he goes on to mention how he couldn’t put up with the Friar’s â€Å"trote† 6 any longer. This is also supported by short, curt and ambiguous manner in which he speaks of his time with the Friar and sheds light on what kind of ‘small things’ he might have been referring to when saying; â€Å"y por otras cosillas que no digo,† 7. This euphemism is not merely subverting the Friar, but the whole of the convent, as he uses them as an example in comparison; â€Å"mas[†¦]que todo el convento. † 8, therefore implying that the participation in such activities was not an uncommon thing. Another subversive device used by the anonymous author, is the use of self-denunciation as a tool to humble himself in the prologue of the novella. â€Å"que confesando yo no ser mas santo que mis vecinos, de esta nonada, que en este grosero estilo escribo,† 9 In this excerpt, Lazaro uses a technique called ‘captatio benevolentiale’ (lit. capture the benevolence of your audience)10 to make himself seem modest in his writing. He describes himself as not being of holy character, his writing style as being grosero’ and his actual writing as being a â€Å"little bit of nothingness†. This is the beginning of a string of rhetoric that will subvert the audience into pitying him for his misfortune and forgiving his numerous faults. Another point to consider is that throughout the novella, satire is used as a method of openly criticizing both the church and the Spanish aristocracy. An example of this can be seen in the Tercero Tratado, during Lazaro’s time spent with the Squire, when the Squire parades around in his only clothes, speaking of honour and status despite the fact that he is impoverished. The effect is that he sounds a fool and the concept of nobility, considered so important in 16th century Spain is undermined. â€Å"! Grandes secretos son, Senor, los que vos haceis y las gentes ignoran! †11 This controversy is fitting of a piece of subversive literature, and only rests to convince me further that Lazarillo is exactly that. In conclusion, I firmly believe that Lazarillo de Tormes is a subversive text because by the end of the book, the reader will have been subverted. It is manipulative in its use of subversive strategies such as rhetoric and euphemism. The subversiveness of the novella is validated by the fact that the Spanish Inquisition deemed it necessary to ban the text 12 on the grounds of heresy and its overall anti-clerical taste. Word Count : 1,238 Bibliography http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/subversion The Characteristics of Subversive Literature (http://www. ehow. com/info_11386262_characteristics-subversive-literature. html? ref=Track2amp;utm_source=ask) Lazarillo de Tormes and Reality (http://www. spainthenandnow. com/spanish-literature/lazarillo-de-tormes-and-reality/default_111. aspx) Pragmatica del discurso y reciprocidad de perspectivas: Los juramentos de Juan Haldudo (Quijote I, 4) y de Don Juan, Gomez-Moriana, Antonio, Nueva Revista de Filologia Hispanica, 1988, Vol. 5(2), pp. 1045-1067 Revista Canadiense de Estudios Hispanicos, 1980, Vol. 4(2), pp133-154, La subversion del discurso ritual : una lectura intertextual del Lazarillo de Tormes. Antonio Gomez-Moriana. The Subversive Tradition in Spanish Renaissance Writing, Antonio Perez-Romano, Bucknell University Press, 2005   339 pages. Lazarillo de Tormes:—dos traducciones/two translations, Copyright  ©1997, 2002 George Stephen