Visión de la conquista y de América en La conquista de México (1668) de Fernando de Zárate

Abstract

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Fernando de Zárate’s La conquista de México(1668) has been prone to differing, when not contradictory, interpretations among the scholarly community. In accordance with the theory of Interpretative Semantics, this work proposes a new interpretative approach, justified by theoretical and textual reasons pertaining to (i) our agnostic position in relation to the notion of authorship; (ii) the absence of direct authorial marks within the play; (iii) the impossibility to validate a metaphoric reading of the text; (iv) our constitution of the play’s universe of reference and of its evaluative zones. Thus, our interpretative trajectory points to a generally positive evaluation concerning the character of Cortés as well as to the exaltation of Catholicism and the degradation (though relative) of the indigenous universe.

Keywords

Spanish plays, Conquista de México, Fernando de Zárate, Interpretative Semantics, Doxa