| This thesis discusses Francisco Nunez de Pineda y Bascunan's 17th century book, Cautiverio feliz y razon individual de las guerras dilatadas del reino de Chile. The Cautiverio feliz contains a diversity of discursive types, including a narrative of the author's captivity among the araucanos, discussions of Spanish colonial policies in Chile, poetry, glosses of Latin verses, and hundreds of classical and patristic references. This textual complexity has inspired diverse responses among students of the work. While generally placed among the Cronicas de Indias, the Cautiverio feliz has been called a novel, a political treatise, and example of early costumbrismo, and an autobiography. In each case critics lament the learned references, opining that these obscure the author's true intent. Only recently have there been more successful attempts to treat the text as a whole and to analyze the relationship of the various discursive types.;The character of Pineda's book is also determined by his own socio-economic, and political concerns. These lend a polemical tone to his writing, and suggest issues concerning the New World which were debated for centuries. In this thesis I relate these issues to Pineda's personal interests.;Finally, the book has received an orientation from rhetoric. Pineda relies upon rhetoric to make the most persuasive arguments possible, and to structure his work as well. The focus in this thesis is on the author's use of the classical rhetorical structure of exordium, propositio, narratio, confirmatio, peroratio, and on the variety he is able to achieve with it.;In this thesis I have chosen several unifying elements in order to demonstrate the character and integrity of the Cautiverio feliz. I note that the book has been influenced by works known as de regimine principum. These works of advise to the Prince focus on the monarch's virtues and duties, and their authors assume the role of a royal counselor. Pineda also discusses the virtues, vices and duties of the king, and likewise portrays himself as a counselor. My analysis of Pineda's use of ancient and patristic sources to support his discussions indicates the role of the learned references in the work. |
