Zorro (novel) - Continuity

Continuity

Zorro contains numerous explicit references to Zorro works created before but taking place after Allende's tale. Most of the novel seems to correlate with most of the original Zorro tales. It even mentions Esperanza, Diego's wife in The Mask of Zorro. The epilogue states that Diego lived to a comfortable old age after Esperanza's death, which The Mask of Zorro clearly contradicts, though this is just a hopeful thought of the future from Isabel during the time she narrated the story. Also, Lolita Pulido meets Zorro well before their previously-established first sexual encounter.

In the 1920 silent film and Disney's television series, Bernardo is Diego's manservant, confidant and co-conspirator, the only person at first to know Diego's secret. Unable to speak, he uses gestures to communicate and pretends to be deaf as well as mute, the better to overhear the plans of Zorro's enemies. He also plays the fool, adopting clownish behavior so as to seem harmless. Although Bernardo is sometimes portrayed as a little silly even when no pretense is required, he is also a capable and invaluable disciple for Zorro and Diego, even wearing the mask himself occasionally when the need arises. This character had appeared in the original stories as both deaf and mute; giving him hearing in this iteration helped to make Bernardo more integral to the series as Zorro's spy. It also helped to advance the plot by giving Diego a partner with whom he could confide feelings, plans, and intended actions, while also communicating these things to the viewers.

In McCulley's work, Diego de la Vega was born in the late 18th century to a Spanish mother whose name is never reported consistently. the 1940 version of The Mark of Zorro lists her name as Isabella and the Disney television series gives her maiden name as de la Cruz. Sometime after her death, the young man left California and was educated in Spain, before returning to don the Zorro mask. A speculative attempt to fuse together these disparate accounts is found in the on-line article Legacy of the Fox.

A young adult novel, Young Zorro: The Iron Brand, was published at around the same time as Allende's novel. It was written by young adult author and illustrator Jan Adkins, a technical advisor for Allende's story. It is the story of how Spanish Alta California, Pueblo de Los Angeles, and the Californio vaquero heritage at the beginning of the 19th century shaped fifteen year old Diego de la Vega and his mute brother Bernardo to create their eventual shared identity as el Zorro, advocate and protector of the people.