Flourishes in Spanish Prose
Okay, so I hold a degree in English Literature and consider myself to be a competent literary critic. My training causes me to use an economy of words with precision, when writing English prose. When I want to write with flourishes, I resort to verse (i.e. poetry). Does the same hold true for Spanish? I present the following quote from Jorge Onetti's "El Gagajero":
"Figúrese usted que durante los cinquento años de nuestro matrimonio, fuera invierno o verano, estuviera sano o indispuesto, Marcial se levantó invariablemente a las seis en punto."
I see no reason for the employ of the imperfect subjunctive form of "Figurar". I would have used "Figure", the present subjunctive form, rather than "Figurese", which is an alternative imperfect subjunctive form. The called-for imperfect subjunctive form being "Figuraran", especially since the same called-for imperfect subjunctive forms of "ser" and "estar" are used in the same sentence. "Figure" is also the imperative form, since the third person singular of the present subjunctive serves as such. Now since the imperative "imagine" can be seen to be a suggestion, the use of the subjunctive in the following subordinate clause seems warranted to me, not to mention that the two clauses of this compound sentence has two different subjects. I do puzzle, however, over the subjuntive tense (as opposed to mood) in the subordinate clause. I also puzzle over the different states of being as represented by "fuera" and "estuviera". Please discourse upon this, and clear it up for me. The quote is dialogue, but I do not feel that the author is poking fun at the speaker. Two old ladies are having a little spat. Am I wrong to perceive that the author is employing unnecessary flourishes?
6 Answers
I think you could use the same economy of precise wording in Spanish literature, but since Spanish is not my mother tongue, and I am not a literary critic, I will defer to the experts on this forum for their thoughts.
However, in your critique, I would have said "for the employment of the imperfect" not 'for the employ of the imperfect'. I think if you want to use the word employ, it should have been used as a verb, thus "I see no reason to employ the imperfect subjunctive."
In addition, I would have said " two clauses of this compound sentence have two different subjects ", not 'two clauses of this compound sentence has two different subjects', since the word sentence is not the subject of the sentence.
Anyone else agree or disagree? Cheers! I hope everyone is having a superlative day!
"Figúrese" es la segunda persona del singular del imperativo (usted). El subjuntivo sería "figurase (con acento en la "a" y no en la "u").
Podría haber escrito igual "imagínese usted".
I don't think it is a flourish, to my limited standing it just says:
Just imagine for yourself, during the 50 years of our marrige, whether it was winter or whether it was summer, , whether he was healthy or ill, Marcel invariably got up at 6 every morning .......
In English you could also say: were it winter, or were it summer, I think I expect I've mispelled whether, I'm not English. As for poetry, it can often be terse and all the better for it!
Oops! The Spanish word for "to imagine" is "figurarse". It is reflexive. So the author correctly used the third person singular present subjunctive "figurese", which, of course, is the formal imperative. I do wonder, however, what the alternative imperfect subjunctive form of "figurarse" would be, understanding that its use here would have been inappropriate. This was fun for me. I hope a little turn of wit did not offend anyone.
se figuararan o se figuaresen, I think.
I have learned that the third person singular of the alternative form of the imperfect subjunctive of "figurarse" is "se figurase".
