Neither Hamlet nor Faust: the amor fati of D. Quixote in Francisco Campos’ anti-liberalism

Abstract

Francisco Campos analyzes the classic Don Quixote de la Mancha in his essay Atualidade de D. Quixote (Contemporaneity of D. Quixote), in order to trace the spiritual crisis of modern times and the feeling of despair currently lived by men. Three hallmark figures of literature are featured in Campos’ narrative: Hamlet, Faust, and D. Quixote. Hamlet and Faust represent the cowardly hesitation and the hermetic art and literature of liberal intellectuals, who are unable to communicate collective experiences to organize a social order of stability. This makes possible for Campos to state his strong criticism toward liberal institutions and ideas, in a Schmittian anti-liberal bias. It is necessary to recover the rationale of D. Quixote, who, with his amor fati (love for the common destiny), decides, as a statesman, to “transform thought into will and will into action”. It is an arduous civilizing task of making the masses a cohesive people, obedient, civilized and united in a common superior order (the National State), guided by Catholic values, and willing to fight against the enemy. It is only possible to save democracy from “cataclysm” if the call for the final Crusade is accepted. Hence the Contemporaneity of D. Quixote. This article intends to carry out an interpretive effort of the essay Contemporaneity of D. Quixote, in order to highlight some aspects of the anti-liberal political and constitutional thought by Campos.