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Celestina, a Cynical Story

Notes from Kathy:

Is anyone in this story an innocent?  The overall feel to me is completely cynical.  Some of the characters start out with more noble sentiments (Calisto’s servant Parmeno) but are pretty quickly convinced to change.  Melibea and Calisto are perhaps less cynical, but then they have money and can afford love and honor.  Or is that just lip service?  Even their love doesn’t lead toward marriage but instead to immediate physical gratification.  It seems every character is more or less explicitly in it for him/herself, and expects all the others to be acting just the same.  And it’s this expectation that I think creates part of the ultimate tragedy – it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that no one can be trusted.

This is one aspect of the book that I think is possible for today's readers to connect with -- cynicism about everyone's true motives.  Yet paradoxically it may also make it harder to feel a sympathy with any of the characters.

Another aspect that I think translates well to modern life is the way the servants are quite individualistic, not respecting of authority; they feel they are just as good as their masters, perhaps better.

Do you think Celestina has anything to say to modern readers?

-- Kathy Gursky

Comments

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  • Melibea introduces herself on page 1 as a virtuous woman, and brushes off Calisto as a "selfish fool".  Much of the story revolves around Calisto's wooing of Melibea, using Celestina as a go-between.  I do not really understand the type of society where using a bawd is the preferred way to obtain the love of a chaste lady.  But apparently it works, when a little black magic is involved.  Hmm.  By page 116 Melibea has done a complete turnaround and begs "Destroy my honour, damage my reputation, hurt my body, break my flesh, extract my bleeding heart."  The one character in the novel who might be expected to stay innocent gives it up pretty easily.


    Calisto is one of the most self-centered characters in literature.  Obviously he is willing to risk some danger for some short-term satisfaction in Melibea's garden, so to speak.  He also is unconcerned about his servants' deaths, when his most immediate concern on page 148 is how this will hurt his own reputation.  He deserves his rather pathetic death.


    The death of most of the characters in a story is an easy way to end a novel or a play.  Shakespeare obviously uses the same techniques in many of his tragedies.  However in this novel, where the volume of the dialogue seems to be cranked way high, it gives a very abrupt flat ending to the story. 

    Sherry, 2 years ago | Flag

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