and the stage (television is omitted) is useful appendix: a chronological list of similar to touring a museum of contem­ the thirty meetings of the Group (month, porary art with an expert guide, who year, place indicated), a list of the two necessarily moves rapidly, works largely hundred authors who have read at the with generalizations, combines historical meetings, identification of the ten prize and critical comments, and sometimes of­ winners (to the above, add Günter Eich, fers quick evaluations. Though there are 1950, and Johannes Bobrowski, 1962), obvious dangers in such a "tour," in gen­ and a "Selected Bibliography" divided eral Mandel offers a very handy collection into several sections (that on "Individual of brief but judicious critical judgments. Authors" nearly ignores articles and Naturally readers will worry about some therefore is much too selective). omissions and inclusions, and about some possible inaccuracies and misjudgments. If one does not go to the book expect­ From my point of view, Mandel's desire to ing detailed criticism of individual works survey contemporary German literature of literature and if one adds a few de­ causes him to deviate at times too much murrers, Group 47: The Reflected Intellect from Group 47 itself: for instance, a lives up to the claim of Harry T. Moore, number of pages are allotted to Rolf the general editor of the Crosscurrents Hochhuth, who has had no association series—"a first-rate work of literary his­ with the Group; and the most lengthy tory illuminated by first-rate criticism." comments on a single author are those on Perhaps for a good while to come Paul Celan, who obviously interests Man- Mandel's book will remain the best source del but who read at a single Group of information about the phenomenal meeting. Or to note the type of small Group 47. omission which all readers will probably discover, Mandel refers, without en­ thusiasm, to what he implies is Jakov Daniel P. Deneau Lind's only novel, Landscape in Concrete; unfortunately, Lind did publish a succes­ sor, the virtually unreadable Ergo (1967; Eine bessere Welt, 1966). Given some of the material that Mandel is forced to observe, it is not at all surprising that he some­ times drops the neutral tone of much RUTH S. EL SAFFAR modern criticism. In one important case Novel to Romance: A Study of his personal viewpoint may or should Cervantes's Novelas ejemplares annoy many readers; not only does he Baltimore: The John Hopkins distrust "avant-gardism," but he concludes University Press, 1974. Pp. 189. his chapter on "the radio play" with this $9.50. extraordinary pronouncement: "Ex­ perimentation, in my vocabulary, means The Novelas ejemplares (1613) of Miguel unsuccessful art." Indeed! And what de Cervantes have been divided, tradi­ would happen to art if many people used tionally, into two groups: the idealistic or such an absurd "vocabulary"? To turn to Italianate novels (written early) and the something within the realm of good sense, realistic or national novels (written late). 1 Ix'lieve that Mandel's chapter on fiction Between these two extremes there is a is the Ix-st of the surveys in the volume; in buffer zone in which idealism is tinged this case the Group itself remains clearly with realism. This is usually referred to as in view as the individual artists parade by. Cervantes's period of transition (for a After noticing the work of Richter and summary of this traditional criticism see J. Allied Andersch, Mandel comments in L. Alborg, Historia de la literatura espanola chronological order on a number of [Madrid: Gredos, 1967] II, 91-119). The Group prize winners, as well as several situation seems remarkably simple, yet, in other more or less well-known figures: actual fact, it is not, for there are many Heinrich Böll (prize, 1951), Use Aichinger unsolved (and perhaps insoluble) prob­ (1952), Adriaan Morriën (1954), Martin lems to be taken into account. There is, Walser (1955), Günter Grass (1958), Uwe for example, no established chronological Johnson. Peter Handke, Hubert Fichte, order for the twelve tales which combine Peter Bichsel (1965), Jürgen Becker to form the exemplary novels; further, it (1967). Ingeborg Bachmann (1953, for is almost certain that the order in which poetry), Jakov Lind, and Tadeusz Now- they appear in the 1613 edition has little akowski. The book concludes with a very- to do with the order in which they were 92 The International Fiction Review written. Again, the word "exemplary" is any reality beyond the one they perceive" ambiguous, to say the least, and no satis­ (p. 13). As far as narrative technique is factory meaning has been brought for­ concerned, as Cervantes became more ward for it. Finally, the traditional posi­ skilled in the art of narration, so his tion is based on the traditional idea that control of the narrative voice (and hence the "realistic" novels are the best ones, of the story itself) grew stronger and and that the "idealistic" tales are necessar­ stronger. ily inferior to (and thus earlier than) them. According to this interpretation, as The initial premises are established in Cervantes progressed, so he abandoned Chapter I. Professor El Saffar then ex­ the idealistic, Italianate style in favor of amines the Novelas ejemplares in great de­ the realistic, national one that he was tail and in the following order: early helping to create. novels: "Rinconete y Cortadillo," "El celoso extremeno," and "El licenciado Ruth El Saffar shows that the position Vidriera" (Chapter II); transitional novels: outlined in the preceding paragraph is a "El casamiento enganoso," "El coloquio de precarious one. She does so by reversing los penos," "La gitanilla," and "La ilustre the idea that Cervantes progressed from fregona" (Chapters III and IV); the later the ideal to the real, and by suggesting novels: "Las dos doncellas," "La senora that, in fact, the opposite was true: he Cornelia," and "La fuerza de la sangre" advanced from the real to the ideal. Her (Chapter V); and the last-written novels: thesis is a reasonable one. The only novels "El amante liberal," and "La espanola that can be dated with any certainty are inglesa" (Chapter VI). It is curious that "Rinconete y Cortadillo" and "El celoso Amezua, who also divides the Novelas extremeno" both of which appear in the ejemplares into three epochs according to Compilation de curiosidades espanolas (circa the psychological development of the 1604) of Francisco Porras de la Camara. characters, reverses this order, placing "El Thus, there is nothing in the chronology amante liberal," "Las dos doncellas," and to refute the argument. In terms of "La senora Cornelia" into the first period, Cervantes's life, 1604 may be considered a whilst "Rinconete y Cortadillo," "El licen­ "late" date; however, in terms of his ciado Vidriera," and "El coloquio de los major literary publications, and hence of perros" appear in the last one (see Al- his artistic development, it may be con­ borg, Historia . ., II, 96). sidered "early." (The dates of publication of Cervantes's major works follow: Don Quijote I, 1605; Novelas ejemplares, 1613; Professor El Saffar's examination of Viaje del Parnaso, 1614; Ocho comedias y ocho each novel is thorough, the bibliography entremeses nuevos, 1965; Don Quijote which accompanies each study is quite II, 1615; Los trabajos de Persiles y Segis- comprehensive, and most major problems munda, 1917.) are discussed with regard to each story. The whole problem of the chronology of For Ruth El Saffar, then, the idealistic the Novelas ejemplares is again dealt with in novels are not early; they are late. the appendix (pp. 169-177), and here one Further, they are not Italianate at all, but finds a summary of most of the major rather Byzantine. Hence they are com­ works on the subject. parable to Cervantes's last published work, the Persiles (published posthumously In conclusion, Professor El Saffar's in 1617). Professor El Saffar arrives at the work Novel to Romance is a valuable, well- above conclusion by means of a detailed documented study. Perhaps its chief study of (a) the role of the narrator in the worth lies in the fact that it encourages novels; and (b) their exemplary nature. both reader and specialist to pay more For her, the protagonists "in the late attention to the hitherto much neglected works . are exemplary in their ac­ idealistic novels. Novel to Romance is a ceptance of their given role in life and in work that cannot be ignored, for it will their devotion to a transcendent reality. play a prominent role in future studies on In the early works, on the other hand, the the Novelas ejemplares. main characters try to remake their lives. They reject the circumstances into which they have been born and show no faith in Roger Moore Brief Mentions 93 .