"Mirò al soslayo, fuese y no hubo nada". Fortuna y actualidad de un verso cervantino

Abstract

Through several examples from the Golden Age to today, this article aims to show the vitality of some Cervantean expressions which have stood the test of time and are still common in present-day Spanish. Some of them are widely widespread thanks to their connection with Don Quixote, whereas others are less well known, such as the expression drawn from one of Cervantes's sonnets, examined here. The conclusion of its last line, “fuese y no hubo nada”, has become current in the language of contemporary Spain, a very different reality from the one Cervantes knew.

Keywords

• literature