Reseña de Affective Geographies. Cervantes, Emotion, and the Literary Mediterranean de Paul Michael Johnson

Cohen, Eli

English

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  274	PAUL 	M ICHAEL 	 JOHNSON . 	Affective	Geographies.	Cervantes,	Emotion,	and	the	Literary	Mediterranean.	Toronto,	Buffalo,	London:	U	of	Toronto	P.,	2020.	307	pp.		In	 Affective	 Geographies,	 Paul	 Michael	 Johnson	 weaves	 a	 compelling	interdisciplinary	 tale	 about	 what	 he	 calls	 “the	 affective	 structures	 that	inscribe	 the	 Mediterranean”	 (5).	 In	 doing	 so,	 he	 wields	 and	 places	 into	dialogue	 Affect	 Studies,	 Mediterranean	 Studies,	 Literary	 Studies	 and	Hispanic	 Studies	 in	 innovative	 fashion.	 The	 result	 is	 productive	 and	insightful,	 offering	 both	 an	 account	 of	 the	 potential	 for	 new	 avenues	 of	inquiry	in	these	areas	and	concrete	illustrations	of	what	such	scholarship	might	 look	 like,	 asserting	 a	 need	 for	 “the	 critical	 task	 of	 recovering	 the	literary	Mediterranean”	 (4),	 and	 advancing	 an	 initial	 approach	 to	 such	 a	project.	To	do	so,	Affective	Geographies	brings	a	broad	critical	apparatus	to	bear	on	 the	writer.	 Johnson,	 following	Steven	Hutchinson	and	Antonio	Cortijo	Ocaña,	 identifies	 Miguel	 de	 Cervantes	 as	 having	 “the	 most	 extensive	Mediterranean	experience	of	his	era”	(4).	The	purpose	is	twofold:	first	to	upend	“the	Braudelian	model”	of	Mediterranean	Studies	by	attempting	“to	theorize	a	literary	Mediterranean	from	the	bottom	up”	by	considering	how	“the	 microliterary	 informs,	 reflects,	 and	 refracts	 the	 macrohistorical	landscape”	(5).	The	second	 is	 to	examine	 the	particular	contours	of	what	Johnson	 describes	 as	 “Cervantine	 affectivity”	 (29),	 an	 approach	 to	representing	 and	 communicating	 emotion	 that,	 according	 to	 Affective	Geographies,	 constitutes	 a	 departure	 from	 the	 traditional	 methods	 for	depicting	emotion	 in	early	modernity.	This	 leads	 Johnson	 to	advance	 the	claim	that	“Cervantes’s	engagement	with	affect	is	not	only	fundamental	but	fundamentally	different”	(13).	This	 introduction	 reflects	 the	 expansive	 opening	 chapters,	 in	 which	Johnson	establishes	with	acuity	the	broad	scholarly	context	into	which	his	work	 inserts	 itself.	 Here,	 as	 throughout,	 the	 scholarship	 is	 informative	without	being	overwhelming	(there	are,	after	all,	countless	studies	on	each	of	these	topics)	and	the	ideas	are	delivered	in	a	rich	yet	clear	prose.	The	first	part	of	the	book,	comprising	the	first	two	chapters,	is	titled	Casting	Off,	and	serves	to	lay	the	groundwork	for	the	critical	analysis	performed	in	the	latter	sections.	 The	 introductory	 chapter	 begins	 by	 identifying	 the	interdisciplinary	nature	of	the	project,	 introducing	readers	to	the	various	scholarly	and	historical	contexts	in	which	it	inscribes	itself,	as	well	as	to	the	debates,	 conflicts	 and	other	points	of	 contention	 that	have	 characterized	approaches	 to	 the	 three	 central	 pillars	 of	 the	 study:	 Cervantine	 Studies,	Affect	 Studies,	 and	 Mediterranean	 Studies.	 Chapter	 2,	 “Connected	(Hi)stories:	 The	 Cervantine,	 Literary,	 and	 Affective	 Mediterranean,”	  275	expands	upon	this	initial	framework	and	provides	a	more	detailed	account	of	each	of	the	primary	themes	of	the	book	as	well	as	staking	a	claim	for	their	fundamental	 interrelatedness.	 With	 sections	 on	 The	 Historical	Mediterranean,	 The	 Literary	 Mediterranean,	 and	 The	 Affective	Mediterranean,	the	author’s	argument	leads	to	a	discussion	of	the	ways	in	which	these	sections	construct,	and	how	their	representation	in	Cervantes	permit,	 a	 contestatory	 vantage	 point	 from	 which	 to	 unsettle	 dominant	intellectual	paradigms	both	in	Cervantes’s	day	and	in	our	own.		Part	 II,	Quixotic	 Passages,	marks	 a	 shift	 to	 concrete	 examples	 of	 the	critical	program	that	serves	as	a	solution	to	the	scholarly	and	theoretical	lacunae	 articulated	 in	 the	 earlier	 chapters.	 Here,	 Johnson	 examines	Cervantes’s	 treatment	 of	 shame	 and	 laughter,	 showing	 in	 Chapter	 3	 the	particularly	 Mediterranean	 contours	 of	 shame,	 and	 the	 techniques	Cervantes	 uses	 to	 depict	 the	 oft-hidden	 corollary	 to	 honor,	 much-celebrated,	especially.	in	that	geographical	context.	In	Chapter	4,	the	book	turns	its	attention	to	laughter,	making	a	case	for	laughter	to	be	understood	as	an	affect	 in	 its	own	right.	 In	both	chapters,	 Johnson	demonstrates	 the	fundamentally	 political	 dimension	 of	 emotion	 in	 the	 early	 modern	Mediterranean.	On	one	hand,	he	highlights	Cervantes’s	transposition	of	the	notion	of	shame	from	the	context	of	the	victors	to	that	of	the	vanquished,	underscoring	 the	 subjective	 experience	 of	 the	 shamed	 in	 a	 space	characterized	 by	 imperial	 and	 religious	 violence.	 On	 the	 other	 hand,	 he	shows	 the	 use	 of	 laughter	 in	 Don	 Quixote	 to	 destabilize	 sociopolitical	hierarchies	and	structures	of	power	in	the	context	of	Mediterranean	alterity.	Moving	from	Cervantes’s	most	famous	work	to	lesser-known	texts,	Part	III	(Other	Ports	of	Call),	considers	two	other	pieces	of	Cervantine	prose,	the	novella	“La	española	inglesa”	(in	Novelas	Ejemplares,	1613)	and	Cervantes’s	final	work,	Los	trabajos	de	Persiles	y	Sigismunda	(1617).	Chapter	5	centers	on	the	former	and	examines	Cervantes’s	use	of	suspension	–	narrative	as	well	as	 emotional	 –	 as	 a	 technique	 for	 achieving	 a	 new	 form	 of	 ethical	exemplarity	for	his	readers,	in	which	affect	plays	a	crucial	role.	If	suspension	permits	a	propulsion	to	moral	improvement,	it	does	so	through	a	prefatory	nullification	of	rational	thought.	Chapter	6	explores	Cervantes’s	efforts	to	articulate	 this	 experience	of	 the	 “ineffable”	 in	 the	Persiles.	Here,	 Johnson	reveals	the	manner	in	which	Cervantes	reflects	the	alterity	characteristic	of	the	 early	 modern	 Mediterranean	 through	 a	 story	 about	 the	 ultimately	impossible	task	of	expressing	the	true	substance	of	affective	experience,	and	how	he	expands,	at	the	same	time,	the	very	notion	of	the	verisimilar,	which	was	so	crucial	to	his	literary	aesthetics.	Affective	 Geographies	 ends	 with	 an	 afterword	 in	 which	 Johnson	summarizes	 his	 arguments	 and	 outlines	 their	 scholarly	 and	 political	ramifications,	not	only	for	Cervantes’s	Mediterranean,	but	also	for	our	own	  276	world.	Despite	certain	tensions	and	equivocations	throughout	the	text	(i.e.,	between	the	exceptional	nature	of	Cervantes	as	a	writer	and	Cervantes	as	a	representative	of	a	Mediterranean	aesthetics;	between	the	representation	of	affect	within	a	text	and	the	purported	affective	operations	of	a	text	on	readers;	 or	 between	 the	 Mediterranean	 as	 a	 unique	 context	 and	 the	Mediterranean	 as	 a	 universal	 context,	 as	 demonstrated	 by	 the	 equation	“Mediterranean	experience	=	emotional	experience”	[192]),	the	monograph	performs	with	great	acumen	the	important	function	of	extending	the	scope	of	 the	 “affective	 turn”	 to	 address	 fields	 of	 study	 in	 which	 it	 has	 been	previously	overlooked.	In	doing	so,	Johnson	fulfills	his	ambition	of	serving	as	“a	spur	to	setting	forth	across	new	geographical,	disciplinary,	and	critical	frontiers”	(195).	In	this	regard,	Affective	Geographies	presents	an	important	contribution	to	both	Cervantine	Studies	and	Mediterranean	Studies	alike.		EL I 	 COHEN 	Villanova	University			KRZYSZTOF 	A . 	 KULAWIK . 	Visions	of	Transmerica:	Neobaroque	Strategies	of	Nomadic	Transgression.	Literature	of	the	Americas	Series.	Cham,	Switzerland:	Palgrave,	2024.	xxxi	+	388	pp.		The	Baroque	and	 the	Neobaroque	have	 long	been	associated	with	queer	culture	 and	 queer	 sexuality:	 the	 Baroque	 appeals	 to	 the	 passions,	 and	formally	 it	derives	 from	a	 transgressive	 impulse,	 the	non-classical	use	of	classical	 forms.	 Visions	 of	 Transmerica	 builds	 on	 the	 poststructuralist	approach	 to	 the	 Baroque	 as	 the	 “apotheosis	 of	 artifice,	 the	 irony	 and	mockery	of	nature,”	outlined	by	Cuban	Severo	Sarduy	in	“The	Baroque	and	the	Neobaroque”	(translated	by	Christopher	Winks	and	included	in	Baroque	New	 Worlds:	 Representation,	 Transculturation,	 Counterconquest),	embracing	and	expanding	Sarduy’s	semiotic	understanding	of	the	Baroque	as	 the	 rebellious	 resignification	 of	 dominant	 culture,	 of	 linguistic	 and	cultural	 codes	at	 anarchic	play	mirroring	nonreproductive	eroticism	and	queer	 transgressive	 identities.	 Sarduy’s	 theoretical	 and	 fictional	Neobaroque	 oeuvre	 is	 revealed	 to	 be	 the	 center	 of	 a	 large	 understudied	network	of	queer	writers	and	performance	artists	from	Latin	America	and	the	U.S.-Mexico	borderlands,	who	are	shown	to	aim	at	the	same	“category-bending”	 and	 “decentering	 of	 identity”	 (125)	 through	 a	 panoply	 of	transgressive	 features	 and	 operations	 including	 “cross-dressing,	androgyny,	 queer	 ambiguity,	 metamorphosis,	 posthumanity,	 and	borderlands	transit”	(125-26):	Mario	Bellatin	(Mexico);	Silviano	Santiago	and	Hilda	Hilst	(Brazil);	Diamela	Eltit,	Pedro	Lemebel,	with	Francisco	Casa,	Juan	

PAUL MICHAEL JOHNSON. Affective Geographies. Cervantes, Emotion, and the Literary Mediterranean. Toronto, Buffalo, London: U of Toronto P., 2020. 307 pp.

https://uottawa.scholarsportal.info/ottawa/index.php/rceh/article/download/7479/5827

PAUL MICHAEL JOHNSON. Affective Geographies. Cervantes, Emotion, and the Literary Mediterranean. Toronto, Buffalo, London: U of Toronto P., 2020. 307 pp.

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