Garrrettian “refurbishments” of “romances” and other traditional texts

Abstract

Very interested in the Romanceiro, which he came into contact with during Romanticism, Garrett (a pioneer on the Iberian peninsula) dedicated himself not only to collecting romances from oral tradition, but also to the creation of poems, inspired by those romances while interpreting them both formally and thematically. At the same time, Garrett infused compositions of his own by reconstructing the old background and by refurbishing it with “cement” and “flavor” of his own (Garrett’s Introduction to Chapin d’El Rei or Parras Verdes.) The vast collection of manuscripts Garrett left behind, intended to become part of the Romanceiro, bears testimony to the aforementioned compilatory and creative activities Garrett would pursue for his entire life. The analysis of Adozinha, Bernal Francês, O Chapim d’El Rei and Miragaia clearly illustrates the reconfiguration practiced in the “reconstructed” romances: The Garrettian “cement” smooths out and spiritualizes the primitive crudity, reconfiguring situations and complexifying the character’s psychology.