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De George Ticknor* LA FIESTA DE LOS TOROS EN LOS DIARIOS DE VIAJE POR ESPAÑA DE GEORGE TICKNOR* Antonio mArtín ezpeletA Universidad de Jaén [email protected] RESUMEN: El presente trabajo analiza, tras la breve presentación de George Ticknor y sus Diarios de viaje por España, que redactó durante la visita a la Península Ibérica que el famoso hispanista norteamericano llevó a cabo en 1818, la descripción de la fiesta popular de los toros que el autor plasmó en dichos diarios. En los Diarios de viaje por España, en parte inéditos y sin traducción hasta el momento, Ticknor estudia el paisaje y paisanaje nacionales en busca de la esencia del espíritu popular español. La fiesta de los toros revestía para él un interés especial, como lo prueba el hecho de que publicara el fragmento dedicado a ella en una importante re- vista de Nueva Inglaterra, The North American Review. Ticknor, más allá de su repulsa contra la violencia del espectáculo, admira el pintoresquismo del mismo y la extraordinaria posibilidad de ver representado el carácter nacional español. Palabras clave: George Ticknor, Diarios de viaje por España, viajeros extranjeros por España, toros, carácter nacional español. ABSTRACT: This paper, after introducing briefly George Ticknor and his his Diarios de viaje por España, which this famous American Hispanist wrote during his visit to the Iberian Peninsula in 1818, analyses the popular bullfighting party. In these journals, partly unpublished and untranslated, Ticknor studies the national landscape and peasantry searching for the essence of the Spanish popular character. The bullfighting party had special interest for him, as proves the publication of a paper about it in the important New England journal, The North American Review. Ticknor, regardless his repulsion about the violence of the performance, admires his picturesqueness and the extraordinary posibility of observing the Spanish national character in action. Key words: George Ticknor, Diarios de viaje por España, foreign travelers to Spain, bullfighting, Spanish national character. * Este trabajo se enmarca en el proyecto de mi beca postdoctoral Fulbright / MEC, desarrollada en la Universidad de Harvard. 362 La fiesta de los toros en los Diarios de viaje por España de George Ticknor El hispanista George Ticknor (Boston, 1791-1871) es conocido por ser el autor de la ímproba History of the Spanish Literature (1849), considerada la primera Historia literaria española como tal, así como por su papel de pionero hispanista norteameri- cano (en 1819 se convirtió en el primer catedrático de lengua y literatura españolas en Estados Unidos, en la Universidad de Harvard).1 Sin embargo, ambas cosas no habrían sido posibles si en 1818 no hubiera recorrido España durante siete meses. Su incursión por la Península Ibérica respondía, de un lado, a su atracción por el carácter nacional español (conocía muy bien la brillante Historia de España y la lectura de los diarios de otros viajeros extranjeros por España, como los del Marqués de Laborde, que no hicieron más que aumentar su curiosidad); y de otro, a la necesidad de aprender bien la lengua, pues había sido invitado a convertirse, tal y como hemos señalado, en el primer catedrático de lengua y literatura españolas en la Universidad de Harvard. Lo explica el propio Ticknor (1851, i: i) en las primeras páginas de su Historia literaria: En el año de 1818 recorrí mucha parte de España, y pasé algunos meses en Madrid: mi objeto al hacer este viaje fue aumentar los escasos conocimientos que ya tenía de la lengua y literatura de aquel país, y adquirir libros españoles, que siempre han sido raros en los grandes mercados de librería de la Europa: en algunos puntos, mi visita correspondió al objeto que me había propuesto, en otros no. A lo largo de su viaje Ticknor fue preparando unos diarios que fueron publicados sumariamente después de su muerte. La parte referida a España, que en la actualidad estoy concluyendo de traducir tras recuperar además un porcentaje de texto inédito en los manuscritos, compone, tal y como yo la título, unos Diarios de viaje por España de gran interés para la historia de los viajeros extranjeros por España, de la intrahistoria de España, que describe con cuidado, y de la vida de George Ticknor y su pensamiento sobre estos aspectos a la altura de 1818.2 Y es que en los Diarios de viaje por España 1. La crítica ha atendido a Ticknor sobre todo por su faceta de historiador de la literatura (vid. Dewey 1928; Hillard 1950; Hart 1954; Rathbun 1960; Guillén 1999; Mainer 2000; Pozuelo Yvancos 2000; Fer- nández Cifuentes 2004; Núñez/Campos 2005 y Romero Tobar 2006, entre otros). Respecto a su condición de pionero hispanista, fueron Farinelli (1902), Romero Navarro (1917) y Meregalli (1989) los primeros en llamar la atención sobre él, a los que hay que unir el reciente estudio de Jaksic (2007), quien asimila en su importante monografía sobre los intelectuales norteamericanos interesados en España otros estudios anteriores sobre la biografía y la labor social de Ticknor en Nueva Inglaterra, como los de Tyack (1967) o Kagan (ed., 2002), por ejemplo. 2. Las citas a esta obra remitirán sencillamente a los números de página provisionales de esta edición entre paréntesis. Los manuscritos autógrafos en los que se basa la edición se encuentran microfilmados en la Biblioteca Widener de la Universidad de Harvard (los originales están custodiados en la biblioteca de la Universidad de Darmouth). Las antiguas ediciones de los diarios de viaje de George Ticknor por España son dos. De un lado, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor, que selecciona en dos volúmenes fragmentos de todos los diarios de viaje de Ticknor, y fue dirigida por Hillard (primera edición, 1876; lo relacionado con el viaje a España se encuentra en Ticknor 1968, I: 185-249). Y, de otro, la edición de Northup Ticknor’s Travels in Spain (Ticknor 1913), que recupera algunos fragmentos e incluye una introducción. La traducción a cargo de Antonio Dorta titulada Diario (Ticknor 1952) solo presenta sobre España diez páginas, y está llevada a cabo a partir de los diarios publicados en inglés citados. Antonio mArtín ezpeletA 363 se lleva a cabo una profunda revisión de la situación sociopolítica española (España estaba recuperándose de la Guerra de la Independencia y reinaba Fernando VII, no demasiado bienquisto por Ticknor), el arte (su análisis de la arquitectura en España, por ejemplo, es muy preciso) y, entre otras muchas cuestiones, el paisaje y paisanajes españoles, que le subyugan de una manera extraordinaria (sobre todo el espíritu de las clases bajas).3 De todas ellas, en el presente trabajo estudiaremos los apuntes que George Ticknor tomó en sus diarios sobre la fiesta nacional de los toros, uno de los aspectos donde nuestro autor cree adivinar una representación única del carácter na- cional español que tanto le interesa, y a la que no por nada dedica una digresión de casi cuarenta cuartillas en los manuscritos originales. Antes, sin embargo, conviene que terminemos de contextualizar muy brevemente el viaje de Ticknor y sus diarios. A la edad de veinticuatro años, George Ticknor se había ganado la fama de persona de amplia erudición y talento, como lo prueba el hecho de su temprana candidatura para trabajar en Harvard. Pero Ticknor, antes de establecerse profesionalmente, quiso realizar un viaje formativo por Europa, que consideraba fundamental para su correcta preparación, puesta siempre al servicio de su nación, a la que, como el grupo de intelectuales conocidos como los Boston Brahmins, intentaba modernizar (vid. García Castañeda 1999). Así, en 1815 partió hacia Europa. Su primer destino, vía Inglaterra, fue la Universidad de Gotinga,4 donde estudió las novedosas teorías del Volksgeist herderiano y el nacimiento de las literaturas na- cionales europeas de la mano de Friedrich Bouterwek. Su paso por la Universidad de Gotinga fue, sin duda, fundamental para su posterior quehacer intelectual y su Historia literaria española. Enfrascado en sus estudios, es cuando recibió la invitación formal de Harvard, que determinó que su viaje por Europa tuviera que acelerarse y que su estancia en España cobrara un lugar de más importancia, ya que debía aprender bien la lengua y adquirir numerosos libros, como explicaba Ticknor en la cita allegada. Antes de ir a España, sin embargo, tuvo tiempo de visitar Francia, Italia y España (desde Alemania había pasado a Suiza y Austria), para terminar su viaje con un breve paso por Portugal y finalmente Inglaterra, desde donde regresó a Boston en 1819. Durante este largo viaje, Ticknor fue preparando unos diarios, sobre los que el mismo autor explicó en una nota inédita redactada en 1868 lo siguiente (6): Los siguientes nueve volúmenes, aunque en muchas de sus partes no están escritos de manera descuidada, contienen meramente un recuento interrumpido, imperfecto y desarticulado de cómo pasé una parte de mi vida desde que embarqué en Boston hacia Europa el dieciséis de abril de 1815 hasta mi vuelta a casa el seis de junio de 1819. 3. Los estudios sobre los viajeros extranjeros por España son casi inabarcables. Citaré ahora solo los catálogos de Farinelli (1979) y García Romeral Pérez (2004), así como el repertorio de bibliografía secundaria que incluye Ortas Durand (2005). Respecto a las referencias bibliográficas sobre los diarios de Ticknor en concreto, se pueden añadir ahora las notas de Ortas Durand (1999; 2006) y dos trabajos míos en prensa sobre el género de los diarios de Ticknor y el carácter nacional (Martín Ezpeleta 2010a; 2010b). 4. Se acaba de publicar una edición muy completa sobre los diarios de viaje de Ticknor por Alemania (Ticknor 2009). 364 La fiesta de los toros en los Diarios de viaje por España de George Ticknor El principal objetivo de estos cuatro años de ausencia era encontrar maneras de educación y cultura mejores que las que podía obtener en casa; pero, en cuanto al uso que hice de estos modos, aquí casi no doy noticia.
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