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Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
Thu May 22, 2014, 07:26 PM May 2014

Shameless Thread Bragging On My Nephew.

My sister's son is an assistant professor at Syracuse of classic Spanish literature and is also a researcher of early Spanish playwrights. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the works of the 17th century Spanish playwright and poet Félix Arturo Lope de Vega y Carpio.

Lope de Vega was a prolific playwright who is considered to be the Spanish Shakespeare. It is thought that he wrote over 1300 plays of which only 300 have survived.

Last year while doing further research in Barcelona at the Spanish National Library on the author and other playwrights and poets, my nephew discovered a comedic play previously thought to be lost, "Women and Servants", written by Lope de Vega circa 1613-1614.



The story takes place in Madrid and stars two sisters, Violante and Luciana, and their lovers, Claridán and Teodoro, one a waiter and the other the secretary of Count Próspero.

These two couples, whose love for each other remains secret, find their relationships put to a test with the appearance of two new suitors: Count Próspero himself, who chases after Luciana, and the rich Don Pedro, who courts Violante with the approval of her father.

This initial scene leads to a game of hide-and-seek and confused identities in which Luciana must intervene to stay close to her lover. These entanglements give way to several very comical scenes, and the house in which they occur becomes a place where all actors are at the mercy of the tricks played by the two women and their lovers.


Today, for the first time in over three centuries the play "Women and Servants" was performed before a live audience.

http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=138248&CultureCode=en
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/28825
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Shameless Thread Bragging On My Nephew. (Original Post) Ikonoklast May 2014 OP
My daughter's a medieval archeologist, specializing in Vikings so I know when passion strikes... riderinthestorm May 2014 #1
His discovery made a big splash at Syracuse. Ikonoklast May 2014 #3
Congrats to your nephew! Kaleva May 2014 #2
He's back home in Valencia for the summer break. Ikonoklast May 2014 #4
Bravo! rurallib May 2014 #5
My sister, brother-in-law and nephew will all be here in the states visiting in August. Ikonoklast May 2014 #7
How wonderful, Ikonoklast! frogmarch May 2014 #6
Do you want to know the best thing? Ikonoklast May 2014 #8
Hmmm... frogmarch May 2014 #9
He told them they missed their chance. Ikonoklast May 2014 #11
Sweet! frogmarch May 2014 #13
HUGE K & R !!! WillyT May 2014 #10
Alejandro just also might be the only Spanish national who understands the Infield Fly Rule. Ikonoklast May 2014 #12
LOL !!! WillyT May 2014 #14
 

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)
1. My daughter's a medieval archeologist, specializing in Vikings so I know when passion strikes...
Thu May 22, 2014, 08:26 PM
May 2014

It can take one on a wild intellectual ride. Kudos to your nephew for following his dream and doing something very,very cool in the process!



Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
3. His discovery made a big splash at Syracuse.
Thu May 22, 2014, 09:00 PM
May 2014

And an even bigger one back home is Spain.

But it made the department head at Syracuse look like a genius for hiring him.

The depth and scope of Alejandro's knowledge of this subject is staggering.

Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
4. He's back home in Valencia for the summer break.
Thu May 22, 2014, 09:12 PM
May 2014

After a lecture given by my nephew, the play was performed in Barcelona at the National Library.

His parents were in attendance, they are rightfully happy for their son.





Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
7. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew will all be here in the states visiting in August.
Thu May 22, 2014, 09:50 PM
May 2014

Afterwards my nephew will drive to Syracuse to prepare for the new school year, and my bil needs to get back to Valencia where he teaches philosophy at the university.

The difference is (as my nephew likes to remind his father) is that my nephew actually has to teach and does research on his own time, and his father leaves teaching to graduate assistants and post-docs while he does research for his next book.




Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
8. Do you want to know the best thing?
Thu May 22, 2014, 10:02 PM
May 2014

Alejandro had a cup of coffee at Cambridge (yes, *that* Cambridge) but they didn't offer him a teaching position.

Guess who called soon after his discovery last January?

Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
11. He told them they missed their chance.
Thu May 22, 2014, 10:21 PM
May 2014

It's not that big a thing to him, his dad taught there for a bit as a post-doc, but actually got a better deal to teach back home in Valencia.


Ikonoklast

(23,973 posts)
12. Alejandro just also might be the only Spanish national who understands the Infield Fly Rule.
Thu May 22, 2014, 10:29 PM
May 2014

Which to me, is almost as big a thing as anything he has accomplished academically.










Well...to be 100% truthful, he does carry a dual citizenship with Spain and the U.S., so there is a little bit of a fudge factor in his favor over the rules of baseball.

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