Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile

One of the great issues of the economic, political and social history of Castile has been how to explain its economic backwardness during the Modern Age, something that was first revealed by the arbitristas, the economists of that period and pioneer researchers into the nature and causes of the weal...

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Main Authors: Luis Perdices de Blas, John Reeder
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association Œconomia 2013-12-01
Series:Œconomia
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/oeconomia/702
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author Luis Perdices de Blas
John Reeder
author_facet Luis Perdices de Blas
John Reeder
author_sort Luis Perdices de Blas
collection DOAJ
description One of the great issues of the economic, political and social history of Castile has been how to explain its economic backwardness during the Modern Age, something that was first revealed by the arbitristas, the economists of that period and pioneer researchers into the nature and causes of the wealth of European nations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This article aims to compare, on the one hand, the analysis made by arbitristas of Castile’s economic problems and solutions put forward by them and, on the other, what the literature of the times portrayed. In the latter, though no attention was paid to economic subjects as such, writers of the period did notice the rise of a new character which they caricatured, the arbitrista. Their writings reflected how their characters behaved as economic agents. The arbitristas’ campaign in favour of work is a criticism of the way of life of the three characters immortalized by writers in their works: provincial gentlemen of leisure such as Don Quixote, courtly seducers such as Don Juan and rogues who wasted their productive capacity in areas which were of scarce benefit and which in many cases constituted criminal behavior.
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spelling doaj.art-9a4f2ba36b7a4dc39e019c67616951bb2022-12-22T03:32:14ZengAssociation ŒconomiaŒconomia2113-52072269-84502013-12-013456159110.4000/oeconomia.702Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century CastileLuis Perdices de BlasJohn ReederOne of the great issues of the economic, political and social history of Castile has been how to explain its economic backwardness during the Modern Age, something that was first revealed by the arbitristas, the economists of that period and pioneer researchers into the nature and causes of the wealth of European nations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This article aims to compare, on the one hand, the analysis made by arbitristas of Castile’s economic problems and solutions put forward by them and, on the other, what the literature of the times portrayed. In the latter, though no attention was paid to economic subjects as such, writers of the period did notice the rise of a new character which they caricatured, the arbitrista. Their writings reflected how their characters behaved as economic agents. The arbitristas’ campaign in favour of work is a criticism of the way of life of the three characters immortalized by writers in their works: provincial gentlemen of leisure such as Don Quixote, courtly seducers such as Don Juan and rogues who wasted their productive capacity in areas which were of scarce benefit and which in many cases constituted criminal behavior.http://journals.openedition.org/oeconomia/702economic growtharbitristasDon QuixoteDon JuanroguesCastile
spellingShingle Luis Perdices de Blas
John Reeder
Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile
Œconomia
economic growth
arbitristas
Don Quixote
Don Juan
rogues
Castile
title Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile
title_full Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile
title_fullStr Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile
title_full_unstemmed Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile
title_short Quixotes, Don Juans, rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century Castile
title_sort quixotes don juans rogues and arbitristas in seventeenth century castile
topic economic growth
arbitristas
Don Quixote
Don Juan
rogues
Castile
url http://journals.openedition.org/oeconomia/702
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