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The
Spanish Gypsy The History of a European Obsession
By Lou Charnon-Deutsch
April 2004 | 304 pgs | 7 x 10 | 31 Illustrations
Comp. Lit., History
Hardback: $42.95 SH
ISBN: 978-0-271-02359-5
Spanish
Gypsy—the words themselves conjure up the sound of castanets,
heels tapping the floor, plaintive yet passionate singing and the
unforgettable sight of a seductive figure, back arched, skirts swirling,
dancing with fierce grace. This creature, this stereotype, has been
all but synonymous with Spain since the 19th century, and there are
no signs that her power as a national icon is on the wane. Surprising
as it may seem, The Spanish Gypsy by Lou Charnon-Deutsch, the
well known Hispanist, is the first comprehensive history of this icon
and her people, who have long been shrouded in mystery and all too
often subjected to discrimination and persecution.
Charnon-Deutsch
starts her story in the Middle Ages and proceeds to show how Europeans
came to revere but also fear Gypsies because of their nomadic way
of life and the freedoms it seemed to allow. Much of Charnon-Deutsch’s
information is drawn from historical and sociological studies, but
she also proposes new readings of literature, starting with Cervantes’s
“Precious Jewel of Love” and moving on to the vogue for
Gypsy subjects that arose in the Romantic era.
This
fascinating book reaches its culmination in the chapters devoted
to Spain’s embrace of Gypsy myth and lore. Here the range of
materials broadens to include music, dance, and the visual arts.
Although the primary audience for Charnon-Deutsch’s study will
be students of Spanish social and cultural history, it will also
be essential reading for all those interested in a group of people
who remain the least understood ethnic minority in Europe.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 Cervantes’ Precious Jewel of Love
2 The Discovery of the Romantic Spanish Gypsy
3 Spreading the Good Word
4 The Legacy of the Romany Rye
5 “Our” Gypsies
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Lou
Charnon-Deutsch is Professor of Hispanic Languages and Literature
at the State University of New York, Stony Brook. She is the author
of a number of Penn State Press books, including Narratives of
Desire: Nineteenth-Century Spanish Fiction by Women (1994) and
Fictions of the Feminine in the Nineteenth-Century Spanish Press
(1999).
