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Cardenio between Cervantes and Shakespeare: The Story of a Lost Play
How should we read a text that does not exist, or present a play the manuscript of which is lost and the identity of whose author cannot be established for certain?
Such is the enigma posed by "Cardenio" - a play performed in England for the first time in 1612 or 1613 and attributed forty years later to Shakespeare (and Fletcher). Its plot is that of a 'novella' inserted into Don Quixote, a work that circulated throughout the major countries of Europe, where it was translated and adapted for the theatre. In England, Cervantes' novel was known and cited even before it was translated in 1612 and had inspired "Cardenio."
But there is more at stake in this enigma. This was a time when, thanks mainly to the invention of the printing press, there was a proliferation of discourses. There was often a reaction when it was feared that this proliferation would become excessive, and many writings were weeded out. Not all were destined to survive, in particular plays for the theatre, which, in many cases, were never published. This genre, situated at the bottom of the literary hierarchy, was well suited to the existence of ephemeral works. However, if an author became famous, the desire for an archive of his works prompted the invention of textual relics, the restoration of remainders ruined by the passing of time or, in order to fill in the gaps, in some cases, even the fabrication of forgeries. Such was the fate of "Cardenio" in the eighteenth century.
Retracing the history of this play therefore leads one to wonder about the status, in the past, of works today judged to be canonical. In this book the reader will rediscover the malleability of texts, transformed as they were by translations and adaptations, their migrations from one genre to another, and their changing meanings constructed by their various publics. Thanks to Roger Chartier's forensic skills, fresh light is cast upon the mystery of a play lacking a text but not an author.
Such is the enigma posed by "Cardenio" - a play performed in England for the first time in 1612 or 1613 and attributed forty years later to Shakespeare (and Fletcher). Its plot is that of a 'novella' inserted into Don Quixote, a work that circulated throughout the major countries of Europe, where it was translated and adapted for the theatre. In England, Cervantes' novel was known and cited even before it was translated in 1612 and had inspired "Cardenio."
But there is more at stake in this enigma. This was a time when, thanks mainly to the invention of the printing press, there was a proliferation of discourses. There was often a reaction when it was feared that this proliferation would become excessive, and many writings were weeded out. Not all were destined to survive, in particular plays for the theatre, which, in many cases, were never published. This genre, situated at the bottom of the literary hierarchy, was well suited to the existence of ephemeral works. However, if an author became famous, the desire for an archive of his works prompted the invention of textual relics, the restoration of remainders ruined by the passing of time or, in order to fill in the gaps, in some cases, even the fabrication of forgeries. Such was the fate of "Cardenio" in the eighteenth century.
Retracing the history of this play therefore leads one to wonder about the status, in the past, of works today judged to be canonical. In this book the reader will rediscover the malleability of texts, transformed as they were by translations and adaptations, their migrations from one genre to another, and their changing meanings constructed by their various publics. Thanks to Roger Chartier's forensic skills, fresh light is cast upon the mystery of a play lacking a text but not an author.
- GenresHistoryShakespeare
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2011
About the author
Roger Chartier
138 books39 followersRoger Chartier is a French historian and historiographer who is part of the Annales school. He works on the history of books, publishing and reading. He teaches at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, the Collège de France, and the University of Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 26, 2018
Below you can see a translation of the text to be found on the France Culture, French radio website, copied from the book's blurb. This blurb prompted me to buy Roger Chartier's book, "Cardenio, between Cervantès and Shakespeare: The Story of a Lost Play". The book was published a few months ago.
"How to read a text that does not exist, or get an idea of a play whose real author we don’t know and the manuscript of which has been lost? That is the riddle posed by Cardenio--a play performed in England for the first time in 1612 or 1613, and attributed, forty years later, to Shakespeare (and Fletcher). The play is based on a story contained in Don Quixote, a work which began to circulate in the major European countries very soon after publication, to be both translated and adapted for the theater. In England, the novel of Cervantes was known and quoted even before 1612, the year in which it was translated (into English) and inspired Cardenio.
This riddle has a number of facets. It was a time when, thanks chiefly to the invention of printing, differing discourses proliferated and fear of their excesses led to their rarefaction. All pieces of writing were not meant to survive. Plays, which were considered the lowest of the low in the literary hierarchy, very often were not even printed – and the genre adapted well to the ephemeral existence of its works. But, if an author became famous, the subsequent search through the archives inspired the invention of textual relics, restoration of remains damaged by time, and even, at times, to fill in the gaps, forgery.
This is what happened to Cardenio in the eighteenth century. Uncovering the history of this play thus leads to questions about the past status of works now considered part of the literary canon. In this book, the reader rediscovers the malleability of texts, as they are transformed by their translations and adaptations, their migration from one genre to another, and the successive meanings constructed by their audiences. For many readers, Don Quixote was for a long time a collection of stories, suitable to be published separately or to be adapted for the stage, at the expense of the consistency of the eponymous hero's adventures. Shakespeare was a playwright who, like many of his colleagues, often wrote in collaboration, recycled stories borrowed from other writers and at times could not find a publisher for his texts. Roger Chartier illuminates the riddle of a play without a text, but not without an author."
"How to read a text that does not exist, or get an idea of a play whose real author we don’t know and the manuscript of which has been lost? That is the riddle posed by Cardenio--a play performed in England for the first time in 1612 or 1613, and attributed, forty years later, to Shakespeare (and Fletcher). The play is based on a story contained in Don Quixote, a work which began to circulate in the major European countries very soon after publication, to be both translated and adapted for the theater. In England, the novel of Cervantes was known and quoted even before 1612, the year in which it was translated (into English) and inspired Cardenio.
This riddle has a number of facets. It was a time when, thanks chiefly to the invention of printing, differing discourses proliferated and fear of their excesses led to their rarefaction. All pieces of writing were not meant to survive. Plays, which were considered the lowest of the low in the literary hierarchy, very often were not even printed – and the genre adapted well to the ephemeral existence of its works. But, if an author became famous, the subsequent search through the archives inspired the invention of textual relics, restoration of remains damaged by time, and even, at times, to fill in the gaps, forgery.
This is what happened to Cardenio in the eighteenth century. Uncovering the history of this play thus leads to questions about the past status of works now considered part of the literary canon. In this book, the reader rediscovers the malleability of texts, as they are transformed by their translations and adaptations, their migration from one genre to another, and the successive meanings constructed by their audiences. For many readers, Don Quixote was for a long time a collection of stories, suitable to be published separately or to be adapted for the stage, at the expense of the consistency of the eponymous hero's adventures. Shakespeare was a playwright who, like many of his colleagues, often wrote in collaboration, recycled stories borrowed from other writers and at times could not find a publisher for his texts. Roger Chartier illuminates the riddle of a play without a text, but not without an author."
Displaying 1 of 1 review