Imaginar mundos: Memoria y ciencia ficción en la obra de Cervantes

Abstract

Even though the term "science fiction" was not coined until 1926, there exist some early forms of the genre in Cervantes's fiction. Indeed, Don Quixote is so strongly connected to the scientific, technological, and cultural advances of the early modern period that the novel can be considered a form of "proto-science fiction." One particular area, mnemonics, is especially prominent, and the novel's fascination with the technologies and techniques used to store, retrieve, and create memories serves to also foster "artificial reality" in the novel. In much the same way as the post-modern technologies of artificial memory and intelligence are central to the creation of alternate realities in The Matrix (1999), Cervantes's Don Quixote creates parallel worlds that defines the journey of the main character and drive the outcome of his adventures. This essay explores how Cervantes's novel deals in imaginary worlds, which anticipates a similar phenomenon in the film.