Time, Narration, and Fictional Writing in «El Criticón»

Abstract

In his three-part allegorical novel, Gracián traces the ages of life over the four seasons of the year and the geographical stages of the heroes' life course. He offers the paradox of a first volume covering "spring" and "summer", emphasising the disparity of ages between the autumnal male Critilo, who seems to be outside the initial temporal pattern, and the springtime boy Andrenio, the only one who, from now on, will seem to be in coherent accordance with the seasons of the year and of life. An attempt is made to show how, starting from the vague historical mention of "the Catholic Philip" and a game of analepsis, retrospective accounts that break the chronological sequence, Gracian, in accordance with the canons of the ages of his time, matches his disparate heroes with the seasons of life. In keeping with the geographical logic of the itinerary of this abstract novel, the chronological coherence of the ages in the spatio-temporal journey is confirmed here.