New documentation on Les comunitats de Castella by Antoni Puigblanch with an excursus on Observaciones sobre la lengua catalana

Abstract

The collection of the Dukes of Fernán Núñez in the Archivo Histórico de la Nobleza (Toledo) includes several documents by Antoni Puigblanch (Mataró, 1775 – Somers Town, London, 1840), which I refer to in another article. Here I will comment on a page containing two autograph drafts in Spanish with explanations concerning his important epic poem Les Comunitats de Castella. On one side, the vocabulary of four well-known octaves satirising Ferdinand VII is glossed. On the other, the intention to recite an equal number of stanzas from it —which could be these same ones— is announced. The title of the poem is given, its genesis is revealed, and the plot is outlined, thus helping to clarify several controversial points of interpretation. These texts are commented on regarding the linguistic and political attitude of Puigblanch and its development. In addition, information is provided on his cultivation of Spanish poetry.