DCA-5

Vida y obra se entrelazan íntimamente en el poema de Alonso de Ercilla. Nacida como obra de carácter histórico, como narración de hechos inéditos en territorios desconocidos, su poetización se apoya en la combinación de las novedades formales de la épica italiana renacentista con los principios de la poética grecolatina. El descubrimiento, la exploración y la conquista de un continente nuevo para la experiencia europea generó en España, y en castellano, una veintena de poemas a lo largo de los siglos áureos. El de Alonso de Ercilla, inspirado en los hechos de la conquista de Chile, de la que fue testigo y actor, es el que ha recibido la consagración de la crítica y el aprecio permanente de los lectores desde su aparición. ( )

PART I

This book is awesome! I'd been planning to read it for a long time and I was hoping that I would enjoy its depiction of the war between the Spanish colonial forces and the Mapuche indigenous people in southern Chile, but I did not expect nonstop action and intricate battle scenes. Maybe I expected both of those things, but I somehow expected other stuff too. I was blown away by the epic scope of this first half of La Araucana, a book that feels like the 16th century epic poem equivalent of a 20th century blockbuster action movie. It takes the style of the late medieval chivalric novels and epic poems (like Orlando Furioso, which is alluded to in the opening stanza) and applies them to the historic events of the Spanish conquest. Most of the action is so over-the-top that it's hard to believe that people used to read this book as the true historical record of the Araucanian war, but it's certainly got more truth to it than a lot of its epic poem kin. There aren't any dragons or mythical creatures, at least, although the Greco-Roman gods are often referenced and even invoked by the Mapuche forces as they prepare for battle.

Alonso de Ercilla was born in 1533 and died in 1594. He was born to a noble Basque family, and when his father died, his mother joined the Spanish court as a lady-in-waiting to the Infanta, with young Alonso becoming a page to the prince who would then become King Philip II. He accompanied the king in his European travels, but eventually got wind of the heroic exploits of the Spanish forces in the New World and decided to get in on the action. He was in Chile in 1557 and 1558 and participated in the battles of Lagunillas, Quiapo and Millarapue. His participation in the Arauco war will be documented in part II of La Araucana. In part I he's basically transcribing facts that he's learned from witnesses representing both sides of the action (apparently he spoke to both Spanish and Mapuche participants), and he cautions the reader at one point that the second hand information he's giving may not be as true as the stuff he witnessed firsthand. He claims to have written a lot of this poem in the heat of battle, even affirming that he often found himself distracted by the task of writing about the war and therefore forgot the sword that he clutched in his hand as he fought alongside his countrymen to defeat the valiant Mapuche forces. This seemed like a strange thing to admit to, but maybe he was just trying to appear as honest as possible. In any case, he published his epic poem in three volumes across nearly three decades, first in 1569, then in 1578 and 1589. The first volume was a bestseller that exceeded his expectations and made his reputation as an author. He parlayed his newfound literary fame into an advantageous engagement to a noblewoman, eventually marrying her and cementing his ascendance into the highest levels of Spanish wealth and prosperity (he'd always had the nobility covered, but he didn't have much in the way of money prior to his book and his marriage).

The writers of the introductory study of my Castalia edition affirm that the purpose of Ercilla was not to tell a story, but rather to sing of the heroic deeds of the Spanish soldiers and their opponents in the Arauco war, establishing the colonial conquests as a sort of epic era in Spanish history where men did great and unbelievable things. Admittedly this distinction had a much nicer ring to it in Spanish, where "sing" and "tell" are separated by a single letter (cantar/contar). In any case, I hope I haven't sounded upset that this book isn't historically accurate in its details. That stuff doesn't really matter, especially now that nobody's claiming its truthfulness...its "truthiness" is much better, anyway. The first part is nearly entirely made up of Mapuche victories over the Spanish forces. Their leaders, such as Lautaro (I believe Roberto Bolaño named his son after him), Caupolicán and the wise elder Colocolo (one of the biggest Chilean soccer teams is named Colo Colo, although I prefer la "U" de Chile) are depicted in all their heroic glory as they decimate the Spanish forces using astute military tactics and superhuman physical abilities. The Mapuches are elevated in this way because, in Ercilla's eyes, doing so only serves to further emphasize the glory of the Spaniards in their eventual victory over the indigenous people of Chile. I was surprised to see such a positive portrayal. The first volume of my two-volume set concludes with the tragic death of one of the Mapuche heroes, and also with the journey of Ercilla himself from Peru to Chile. I can't wait to read part II and find out what happens when the author arrives to the war. It'll be kind of like reading an Iliad written by one of the soldiers who participated in the Trojan War.

PARTS II AND III

Picking up where he left off in 1569, Alonso de Ercilla published continuations to his epic poem concerning the war between the Spanish colonial troops and the indigenous Mapuche forces in southern Chile in 1578 and 1589. These later versions weren't quite as focused as part I, and they were certainly no more historically accurate...that is, unless Ercilla really did visit wizards and saw the events that would take place in future Europe through some magical globes...nonetheless, they were still a pleasure to read. The author's presence in Chile during the events narrated in these volumes of his Araucana added to his storytelling possibilities, and he weaves a series of sub-stories--his personal encounters with noble Mapuche women mourning the deaths of their soldier husbands, a retelling of the story of Dido as the troops journey back to camp, and an awesome expedition into uncharted Patagonia territories--into the story of the final triumph of Spain over the indigenous warriors and their chief, Caupolicán. I got a little bored when he was describing the 1571 Battle of Lepanto, as it was "predicted" to him by the magician Fitón, in great detail, but only in comparison to some of the more compelling cantos. The high point for me was the final expedition, when the group of Spanish adventurers pushed into uncharted territory and tried to go farther south than any European had gone before. It was really quite thrilling, and the way that Ercilla contrasted their hunger, tiredness and fear that they might be pushing onward toward their own doom with their pride and conviction that they'd go down in history for their adventures was rather exhilarating. It's funny, throughout the book he's fairly prolific when it comes to naming people on both sides of the many battles he documents, but here he doesn't mention the names of the others who went along with him on this adventure. I think maybe he wanted to reserve that credit for himself.

La Araucana surprised me. He's even more favorable toward the indigenous forces than I expected. They're the true heroes of the story, and while I can't say that I remember a single Spanish name from the many who took part in the battles over the Chilean territories, there are quite a few indigenous names that stand out: Lautaro, Colocolo, Rengo, Tucapel, Glaura, Caupolicán, Galvarino...they're elevated to the level of the legendary heroes of the classical age. I'm reading a Wikipedia entry on this book, and it says that it wasn't an uncommon practice at the time to turn native people into Greeks, Romans and Carthaginians. It certainly did feel odd, having the Mapuche invoke Greco-Roman gods. In any case, I'm really happy to have learned the stories of the people whose names still appear in modern Chile, and I was happy that Ercilla painted them the way he did. A lot of times, he cried out at the injustice of the treatment they received in battle and in defeat. For example, Caupolicán is captured and given a less-than-honorable death. Ercilla affirms that if he weren't out on patrol at that time, he would never have allowed that to happen. I think maybe he inflates his powers of influence a bit, but still, his defense of the honor of the Spanish soldiers' indigenous opponents was compelling.

This is also the first epic poem I've read in octava real (in Italian it's ottava rima, I'm not sure how it is in English). I've never read such a long story with such a tight rhyme scheme (ABABABCC). It impresses me that he was able to write so many thousands of verses in this form, and I can totally imagine how each volume took him nearly a decade to write and publish. I'd really like to read Orlando furioso in order to experience this poetic form in one of its most famous iterations. I've kind of let my Italian studies fall by the wayside, so I might have to create and work through a few cycles of flashcards in order to understand the language, but I'd both enjoy that and find it beneficial to my understanding of Golden Age Spanish. Maybe this year I'll find time for it...

This was probably an atypical introduction to colonial/conquest literature. I've been thinking for a while about working through some of the more famous texts/chronicles associated with the Spanish conquest of the Americas. It's hard for me, a citizen of a rather completely "discovered" 21st century world, to imagine what it must have been like to explore unknown territories and go where no (European) man had gone before. While the elevation of the characters to a mythic, super-heroic stature may not make it the most reliable chronicle of the historical events that took place after Columbus' voyage across the Atlantic, it does capture the excitement of the experience and the idea that Ercilla surely must have believed in: that the Spanish adventurers who traveled across the ocean and warred with noble and formidable indigenous forces would go down in history as members of a heroic class whose exploits would be seen as comparable to those of the heroes of antiquity. ( )