Wendell P. Smith received his undergraduate degree in Spanish and English from Vanderbilt University, and his Ph.D. in Spanish Literature from the University of Texas at Austin. His primary research focus is on chivalry in Medieval and Early Modern Spain. He is a nationally recognized expert on one the most famous Arthurian narratives that Don Quijote imitated when he went crazy: Amadís de Gaula (1508). His dissertation explored the politics of knights rescuing damsels in Amadís during the queenship of Isabel of Castile (1474-1504). Subsequently, he has published articles in such journals as La corónica, Revista de estudios hispánicos, and Cervantes on chivalric literature as a motor for exploration and conquest, on the gender debate in fifteenth-century Castile, and on cosmography in the Enchanted Boat chapter of Don Quijote. His most recent article explored the meanings of knighthood and chivalric romance in Cervantes’s novella “La Gitanilla”. Current scholarly projects include an examination of definitions of disease in Calderón de la Barca’s honor plays, and an essay on the division between animals and humans in the late fifteenth-century cosmography of Diego de Valera. He teaches courses on Spanish language at all levels, introduction to Hispanic Literature and Culture, and advanced courses on translation and Early Modern Spanish literature, including a seminar on Don Quijote.

            Dr. Smith came to academia after a brief career working as a journalist for national magazines such as Harper’s, Rolling Stone, and Spy. He is also a trained Spanish/English medical interpreter, and uses that knowledge to teach a service learning course in Medical Spanish. His current hobbies include ballroom dancing, backpacking, gardening, trail running, and training his Australian Shepherd, Mia. He spends summers in Denmark with his Danish wife, Marie.