Date of Award

Spring 2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Languages and Cultures

First Advisor

Howard Mancing

Committee Chair

Howard Mancing

Committee Member 1

Íñigo Sánchez-Llama

Committee Member 2

Paul Dixon

Committee Member 3

Patricia Hart

Abstract

This dissertation meticulously traces and analyzes the behavior and motivations of Sancho Panza throughout El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha and Segunda Parte del Ingenioso Caballero Don Quijote de la Mancha. To date, seemingly all criticism of Sancho has studied him on the basis of aspects of a particular episode or of a selection of episodes. In contrast, the contribution of the current monograph is its sustained and methodical approach to analyzing him and his development by means of scrutinizing every motive that he reveals and every action that he performs. I assert and demonstrate that the co-protagonist, a product of the mind of Cervantes, comports himself in a way that responds to discernible psychological forces that provide a detailed and complex characterization of Sancho. Employing critical premises of Lisa Zunshine, Mikhail Bakhtin and Leon Festinger, the present investigation endeavors to examine Sancho's motives and behavior as an individual interacting with his world. In consequence, it elucidates the motivations and other forces underpinning the behavior of don Quixote's companion, thus providing a nuanced and dynamic portrait. Indeed, it exposes that as a consequence of his increasing knowledge and experience, Sancho's behavior evolves over the two parts of the novel and his motivations do so as well.

Share

COinS