Los libros de caballerías en Inglaterra, 1578–1700 ed. by Jordi Sánchez-Martí (review)

Although looked down on by intellectuals of the calibre of J. L. Vives, the Spanish romances of chivalry were bestsellers at home and abroad. Even Cervantes was nuanced in his criticism. The glory days of the genre in Spain were broadly from 1508 (Amadís de Gaula) to 1623 (the last edition of Espejo de príncipes y caballeros). (For a chronology of Spanish editions, see J. M. Lucía Megías, Imprenta y literatura de caballerías (2000), pp. 609–18.) England lagged about seventy years behind. English translations flourished from 1578 (Mirror of Princely Deeds and Knighthood) to 1700 (Palladine of England), and Jordi Sánchez-Martí distinguishes the negative effect of Don Quixote on the decreasing demand for romances of chivalry in Spain and the positive effect of Shelton’s English Quixote on demand in English (pp. 68–9).

The classic study in English of the subject was Sir Henry Thomas, Spanish and Portuguese Romances of Chivalry: The Revival of the Romance of Chivalry in the Spanish Peninsula, and its Extension and Influence Abroad of 1920, generally cited positively by all contributors although new material has of course emerged in a century. Studies and editions of the genre have bloomed in the last twenty years.

Nine texts were translated. In the present volume, Joyce Boro studies the Mirror of Princely Deeds and Knighthood, 1578–1601; Donna B. Hamilton, Palmerin of England, 1581–1685; Jordi Sánchez-Martí, Palmerin d’Oliva, 1588–1637; Agustín López Avilés, Palladine of England, 1588–1700(?); Leticia Álvarez-Recio, Palmendos, 1589–1663; Helen Moore, Amadis of Gaule (I–IV), 1590–1702; María Beatriz Hernández Pérez, Primaleon of Greece, 1595–1619; Rocío G. Sumillera, Belianis of Greece, 1598–1700; and Alejandra Ortiz-Salamovich, Amadis de Gaule (V–VIII), 1598–1694.

Margaret Tyler, translator of Part I of the Mirror, has several distinctions: as the only woman translator of the genre, the translator of the first translation to be printed, and probably the only translator to work from the original Spanish. Many translators had Catholic connections: Tyler, Sheldon, and Munday dedicated works to Catholic magnates (though Munday was probably a Protestant infiltrator in Catholic circles). With the exception of Amadis III, translated by Munday from the Italian of Roseo Mambrino, and Mirror I, translated by Tyler from the Spanish, all these translations were from the French. Kirkman says he learned French in order to translate Amadis VI (p. 189). Álvarez-Recio argues that Munday also handles the Spanish of Palmendos (p. 92).

Uniformity has rightly not been imposed on contributors: some pick up allusions and imitations of the romances (Boro, Moore), some cover the knowledge by English readers of the Spanish originals (Moore). Only Moore looks for the presence of books in private libraries. Some contributors discuss the style of the translations and compare the French with the English: Munday recorded that ‘to translate, allows little occasion of fine pen worke’ (p. 58). Munday and Kirkman were influenced by Euphuism (Moore, p. 117).

The presence of women is notable: the original authors of Palmerin de Oliva and Primaleon were women; Tyler’s prologue is ‘the first feminist treatise on translation’ (p. 207); Munday dedicates one preliminary sonnet to women readers; and Amadis VII is addressed to ‘beautiful ladies’ (p. 117).

Translators often cut scenes of sex, fighting, and Catholic practices (p. 58). The first two were of course criticized by Vives et al.; the latter is attributed to ‘domesticating’ translation practice (pp. 136, 143).

Although little mentioned here (Sánchez-Martí is an exception), an interesting aspect which emerges from comparison with Lucía is the differing popularity of works in the two languages. Only two romances were bestsellers in both countries: Palmerín de Olivia (in seven editions, 1511–53) and Palmerin d’Oliva (in five, 1588–1637...