Don Quixote prologues in editions for children and youth. Functions and topics

Abstract

The prologue is a short introductory part which provides a great deal of information for the correct interpretation of the preceding text. It is built on rhetorical, informational, ideological and critical components, and constitutes in itself a gender in the Spanish literature of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the editions of El Quijote for children and young readers the prologue is essential to justify the adaptation, promote reading and guide the reader. This paper presents a historical synthesis of the prologues from 1856 up to the present followed by a systematic presentation of the functions they carry out and the topics which characterize them.