Hado y fortuna en la España del siglo XVI by Felipe Díaz-Jimeno (review)

Book Reviews91 FELIPE DÍAZ-JIMENO. Hado y fortuna en la España del siglo XVI. Madrid: Fundación Universitaria Española, 1987. 219 p. 1 he concepts of hado and fortuna represent literary themes principally in Spanish Medieval and Golden Age literature. Traces of these concepts, as we are quite aware, have made their way into many a Spanish literary work from the earliest creative pieces of literature to Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Calderón de la Barca to Zabaleta and Francisco Santos in the second half of the seventeenth century. With the first traces of the coming ofthe Spanish Enlightenment these concepts will obviously become the target of critical inquiry by the novatores. The presence of these concepts has been the object of extensive research by such imminent scholars as Herrera García, López Estrada, A. Parker, and O. H. Green. In his superbly executed study, DiazJimeno rightly points out that previous scholars have concerned themselves with the concepts of hado and fortuna but only strictly in a literary context. Diaz-Jimeno, on the other hand, departs from the traditional literary orientation and offers us a new perspective on the subject. His goal, which this reviewer concludes has been successfully achieved, is to historically document and analyze the ideas and attitudes prevalent in sixteenth-century writers who have treated both concepts. Diaz-Jimeno executes this task working with the meticulous rigor of a devoted philologist. He chronologically studies those ideas and attitudes as they appear throughout a selected body of period writings. His approach of documenting every occurrence ofthe themes, quoting, whenever possible, from their originals, and his insightful analysis are an excellent example of solid scholarship. In brief, the book is composed often chapters. The first and second chapters serve to give the reader a general background highlighting the Classical and Medieval acceptances of the terms hado and fortuna. In his concise overview he particularly stresses El compendio de la fortuna by the Spaniard Martín de Córdoba (fifteenth century), a work which Diaz-Jimeno uses as a basis for his study. According to the author, this work, with its theological and moral focus, serves as an excellent point ofreference in analyzing the works selected for examination. Chapter 3 begins the actual analysis of the announced concepts which is continued for the next three chapters. A summary and conclusions are presented in chapter 8. Diaz-Jimeno's search for textual evidence resulted in identifying a significant body ofworks for study. Among the most worthy ofmention are works by Martín de Castañega and Pedro Ciruelo, which clearly expound an anti-superstitious note, and Francisco de Vitoria who continues in that tradition; Venegas del Busto and Pro Mexia present a teleological world view adhering to basic Ptolomaic principles. Other authors examined include Huarte de San Juan, Antonio de Torquemada, and Juan Pérez de Moya, among others, who follow Pero Mexia's views. Diaz-Jimeno arrives at some interesting conclusions, the most obvious being the continued presence ofthe beliefin a teleological and providential universe and the existence ofa universal order (185). An excellent and valuable bibliography recording both manuscripts and the original texts used is included in chapter 9. 92Rocky Mountain Review The only area in which I have some reservations is in Diaz-Jimeno's reference to "plagio" in stating that Taisnier and Pompilius Azalus "plagian a autores medievales de los siglos ??? y XTV" (44), while in other references ofborrowings the expression used is "marcadas coincidencias" (95). The concept ofplagiarism as we so well know is one difficult to evaluate given the norms of the period with regard to imitatio. Typographical errors which escaped the printer make the reading of several passages difficult (14, 15, 25, 48, 88, 138). Especially bothersome is the repetition of several lines of text on pages 120 and 121. Undoubtedly, Hado y fortuna en la España del siglo XVI represents an outstanding contribution to the study of the evolution of Spanish thought. And in light ofthe present research (Domínguez Ortiz, Kamen, López Pinero) being undertaken for the re-evaluation of the second half of the seventeenth century (1680-1699), mistakenly referred to as the "decadent...