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memory and association ... A particular structure is common to all the dominant ideas of any stable tradition, and characterizes it." Whyte would, then, if we interpret him correctly, say that it is possible to capture part of the major ideology of a tradition. 6. Eliot's attitude or approach is what the historian of contemporary criticism would call a mixture of the impressionistic and the revisionist; see Anderson Imbert, op. cit., p. 106-112. That this approach has its dangers is obvious; If Eliot's thesip that no reader can interpret the fullness of any piece of literature were carried to its logical extreme, it would mean that no critic could ever understand any writer at all; indeed, that all human communication would be impossible. (In passing, the last paragraph of Note 2 above in which I assume a certain modicum of knowledge of one of Golden Age Man's major characteristic·* would be an absurdity.) Wellek and Warren's Chapter on "The Analysis of the Literary Work of Art" is of fundamental importance for a quick glance at the major approaches critics have made to the problem of analysis; as they point out (page 154), the ultimate problem of the nature of a piece of literature is a problem in epiätemology . What the future trend of comedia criticism may be is yet to be determined; an English-teaching colleague suggests that it may parallel Shakespearean scholarship. Contemporary scholars have discovered new depths in Shakespeare by approaching his plays as dramatic poems, especially by bringing out the plays' meanings through a studv of their imagery. A classic book on the subject (it has achieved the distinction of becoming an Anchor Book) is D. A. Traversi's An Approach to Shakespeare (New York, 1956). Most comedia criticism has been of a sort that treats this art form as though it were prose; it is apparent that large opportunities for significant criticism lie in the type of approach elaborated by Travers' and others for Shakespeare. Minutes of the 1958 Convention by Helen Sears Wells College The annual meeting of the Comediantes was held on December 27 in the Town Room of the Hotel Statler, with more than forty members present. Chairman Jack Parker expressed the pleasure of the members in welcoming to the meeting Professor Angel Valbuena Prat, who is spending the current year at Tulane University. He also mentioned the honor that had come to Miss Ruth L. Kennedy, in the nomination of her PMLA article, "La prudencia en la mujer and the Ambient that Brought it Forth," (LXIII, 1948, 1131-1190) as one of the outstanding articles in the Spanish field published in that periodical during its seventyfive -year history. Professor Hesse reported disbursements of $92 since October 1 and a December 27 balance of $20 for the Bulletin. Officers elected for the next year were Myron Peyton , chairman; Robert Bininger, secretary; and Carlos Ortigoza, third member. The question of the continuation of the semiannual bibliography in the Bulletin, raised at the 1956 meeting, was again brought to the floor. After considerable discussion a motion made by Professor Leavitt and seconded by Professor Rozzell, to continue publication of the bibliography, was passed. Professor Wardropper suggested that the Comediantes be incorporated as an MLA group, and a motion by him, seconded by Professor Ortigoza, to the effect that the executive committee be directed to take whatever steps are necessary with the administration of the MLA to make this an established group, was passed. The discussion which followed was an attempt to answer the question "El príncipe constante, a Tragedy?" The first speaker, Professor Reichenberger, analyzed the play as it appeared to him and concluded that it is an exemplary Christian martyr play rather than a tragedy. Its ending shows the triumph of the Portuguese arms and the Christian faith, the restoration of the Portuguese national honor, and Christian burial for Fernando. The protagonist is a martyr and a saint, but not a tragic hero. Professor Ortigoza, who followed him, disagreed. For him the play is a tragedy because it represents what the Golden Age considered tragedy . Quoting from the writings of the Golden Age critics, he declared that a...

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