The Discovery of the Place in La Mancha in Don Quixote
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J Syst Sci Syst Eng ISSN: 1004-3756 (Paper) 1861-9576 (Online) DOI: CN11-2983/N WHICH IS THE USE OF SYSTEMS THEORY IN LITERATURE ANALYSIS?: THE DISCOVERY OF THE PLACE IN LA MANCHA IN DON QUIXOTE Francisco Parra-Luna Complutense University of Madrid, Yucatan, 26, 28231 Las Rozas, Spain [email protected] () Abstract The use of systems theory to attempt to determine which ''place in La Mancha'' was the one whose name Cervantes could not quite recall in his universal novel, appears to be ordained to change certain attitudes towards science held in Cervantine literature. The reason: after four centuries of literary analysis, systemic methodology has proven able to identify the famous ''place'' with acceptable accuracy. Nonetheless, certain reasonable doubts persist around the suitability of a strictly scientific analysis of literature. In light of those doubts, the present article aims primarily to facilitate critique both of the systemic approach adopted and its outcome. Keywords: Don Quixote, place in La Mancha, systems theory, epistemological totality, determinant variables 1. Introduction addressed in the present article. In principle, the language of variables and The astonishment aroused around the finding mathematics (based on principles such as in the Cervantine world nonetheless led us to epistemological totality, environment, variable describe the methods used in a number of selection, classification and weighting, encounters. While most Cervantine colleagues inter-variable relationships, modelling, accepted the results and understood the utility of operationalisation and calculation) would not the approach, some have persisted in denying the appear to be the most appropriate vehicle for suitability of mainstreaming the scientific announcing the identification by the systemic principles inherent in systemic analysis in approach of the mysterious ''place in La Mancha'' traditional literary analysis. cited in the first line of Cervantes’s novel. That Yet others have suggested that the subject notwithstanding, since the technical details of the ''Villanueva de los Infantes as the place in La systemic-scientific method used have been Mancha'' should be set to rest. The contention is discussed in previous papers (Parra Luna 2004, that since the information, citations from the Equipo UCM 2005, Parra Luna and Fernandez novel, data and even numbers are there for all to Nieto 2009, and Parra Luna 2012), they are not see, there is no need to come back to them time Systems Engineering Society of China and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2017 Parra-Luna: Which Is the Use of Systems Theory in Literature Analysis?: The Discovery of the Place in La Mancha in Don Quixote 2 J Syst Sci Syst Eng and again. That stance is understandable, because that characterises Campo de Montiel, appear to those colleagues are most likely unaware of the be tipping the political balance in favour of those objections raised in certain Cervantine circles to who seek to marginalise (and if possible rule out) the application of scientific or multi-disciplinary Campo de Montiel and Villanueva de los Infantes methodologies to analysis, objections that cannot as Don Quixote’s and Sancho’s (now hardly be readily ignored. disputable) point of departure. Fourthly, quite We, however, are attuned to the events beyond such unsubstantiated opposition to following on the 2005 identification of Villanueva de los Infantes, some scholars have Villanueva de los Infantes as the place in Campo found the identification of the place whose name de Montiel most translucently or transparently Cervantes was unable to recall an unnecessary, likely to be the ''place in La Mancha'' mentioned useless and impossible exercise, and the in the pages of Don Quixote. That presumed application of mathematical methods to that literary transparency initially ran into four endeavour strange or extravagant. obstacles. Firstly, the discovery was generally unexpected, except for Peralta (1944) who, after 2. Scientific Misgivings certain in situ measurements taken in the first half These objections, these misgivings about the of the last century, cited ''Infantes'' (Villanueva de application of scientific procedures, while held los Infantes is the modern name) as Don by only a minority of scholars and latent and Quixote’s and Sancho Panza’s most likely home scantly explicit in their papers, are the only ones town. Be it said here that the size and importance that merit rebuttal. The four occasions on which of the town at the time counter the more they surfaced are discussed below. widespread belief that Cervantes’s unnamed 2009. A prestigious Cervantine studies place was in fact a single-church hamlet located institution published a book containing an article near El Toboso. Secondly, it clashed with a series by a reputed U.S. colleague whose indictment of of vested local interests (Bradariz1972, Fuentes the application of scientific and Gutierrez 1983, Jiménez Castañeda 2005, Ligero multi-disciplinary methodology to identify Móstoles 1991, Román Alhambra 2010, Ruiz Villanueva de los Infantes as the place in La Castellanos 2004, Ruiz de Vargas 1974, Serrano Mancha” was so disgraceful and couched in Vicens 1966), based in some cases on meritorious such academically inappropriate terms that it is and well-founded tradition (such as Argamasilla hard to imagine how it could have ever been de Alba), that may have felt themselves written or published. Moreover, to their great dispossessed of what they regarded as an discredit, neither the author nor the publisher exclusive honour; not to mention the claims made accepted a suggestion to publish a rejoinder. by towns in the vicinity of Villanueva de los Nonetheless, no a priori adversity toward the Infantes on no other grounds than typical local identification itself or toward Villanueva de los jealousy. Thirdly, in keeping with those interests, Infantes can be detected in the article. Rather, the greater demographic potential in certain areas criticism is levelled against a procedure that of La Mancha, set against the waning population aims to be scientific, in the understanding that Parra-Luna: Which Is the Use of Systems Theory in Literature Analysis?: The Discovery of the Place in La Mancha in Don Quixote J Syst Sci Syst Eng 3 such methods are absolutely irrelevant to literary what sort of news is released, who may well analysis. This the American author makes very have decided not to publicise a fairly clear at the outset, where he objects to what he unorthodox finding deduced with non-literary views as a common contemporary tendency to methods. accord science in general inordinate prestige and 2013. Similar reasons may have informed the the rise of what he terms ''scientifistic'' ideology decision of a major Spanish journal specialising and its corollary, spectacular growth in in Cervantes to reject the publication of an inter-disciplinary approaches. In conclusion, article on why Cervantes may have chosen moreover, he contends that the aim of his article Villanueva de los Infantes as the ''place in La was to reveal the serious damage that can be Mancha'', alluding to the adverse opinions of done when an inter-disciplinary team attempts to two reviewers whom the journal has since been solve a problem whose nature it fails to unable to identify (rendering their existence understand. He postulates that if our team had suspect). This refusal was particularly striking understood, even minimally, the intrinsic because the article in question had been particularity of the literary text in question, we appraised positively by a number of Spanish and would have never embarked on the pursuit of a foreign Cervantine experts who had been asked solution. The author appears to have no to review it prior to publication. The two argument with the identification of the ''place in mysterious adverse opinions may have been La Mancha'' per se. Rather, his objection as a prompted by the effort that it would have taken matter of principle is to any application of the to appraise certain mathematical operations on scientific method to literary analysis, regardless which the paper was based. of the possible results. 2014. And just a few days ago (May), 2012. The references to Villanueva de los another Cervantine colleague of repute reiterated Infantes and its identification as the ''place in La this objection in the following terms. You broach Mancha'' were deleted from the address written Don Quixote as if it were a chronicle rather than by Nicanor Parra and delivered at the University the novel it actually is. You constantly refer to of Alcalá by his grandson Cristobal Ugarte on 23 your strictly scientific approach and repeat that April 2012. As a result, that finding was your analysis is based on scientific methodology, permanently erased from the historic record in but science and scientific are ambiguous terms. all the media, including Internet. This event, Every science has its own methodology, which while inexplicable, should not be viewed with cannot be blithely applied to others without suspicion, for such an unprecedented decision risking nonsensical results. The approach and might merely have been the outcome of an methodology characteristic of the science that aversion to the application of scientific and addresses specifically ''human'' issues differ mathematical methods in this type of studies. Its from practice in natural science and, even more eulogy by a poet with a mathematical widely, from mathematics. Even in science background may have not been to the liking of whose object is humanity, one cannot be overly someone of a literary mind able to influence precautious. Neurological physiology may Parra-Luna: Which Is the Use of Systems Theory in Literature Analysis?: The Discovery of the Place in La Mancha in Don Quixote 4 J Syst Sci Syst Eng explain finger movements, but not piano playing, In the event, it will not be incumbent upon us much less the mysteries of Bach’s Brandenburg to justify the anti-scientific attitudes implicit in Concertos.