Narrative Frames:
1) Father or tutor advises son or pupil
2) Tell stories to prevent death
3) Tell stories as entertainment on a journey or to pass time
Count Lucanor and Didactic
Literature
1. First collection in Spain
and
2. Didactic Works before Alfonso X the Wise
--books of maxims, advice, aphorisms from diverse
origens:
El
libro de la nobleza y la lealtad
(Book of Nobility and Royalty)
Bocados
de oro
Libro de los cien capitulos
(Book of a Hundred Chapters)
Libro
de los doce sabios
(Book of the Twelve Wisemen)
Libro
de los buenos proverbios
(Book of Good Proverbs)
3. Works Structured as Question and Answer:
La
donzella Teodor
Lucidario
(created under direction of King Sancho IV, son of Alfonso X, the Wise)
Diálogo
de un cristiano y un judío
(Dialogue Between a Christian and a Jew)
4. During the second half of the 13th century there
appeared collections that mixed doctrinal themes, proverbs, and sayings, and
more importantly for the development of literature, the inclusión of fictional
contexts in the form of apologues, fables and short stories or tales that
illustrate vividly the teachings and lessons to be derived from them:
Calila
e Dimna (1251)
Sendebar or Libro de los engaños et
assayamientos de las mugeres (1253) (Book of the Wiles of Women)
Barlaam y Josafat
(christianized version of the store of Buddha)
5. Exemplum, wisdom narratives were incorporated
into collections in Latin for use by the clergy in sermons.
6. In the 14th century these stories and tales are
found in works such as:
Castigos y documentos (King
Sancho IV addresses his son the future King Fernando IV)
Libro de buen amor
(Book of Good Love)
7. Sample works by Don Juan Manuel:
El
libro de los Estados
(Book of Estates)
Libro del caballero y escudero (Book of the Knight and the Squire)
Conde Lucanor
(1335):
Two prologues: a) third person b) first person and 5 parts: 1) 51 exempla; 2) section of proverbs directed to Jaime de Jerica; 3) another 50 proverbs; 4) Patronio gives Lucanor 30 proverbs; 5) last part, Patronio discusses the salvation of the soul with the Count)
Narrative frame: Count Lucanor seeks the advice of
Patronio who employs stories to illustrate his advice. Each exempla ends
with a verse that is meant to summarize explicitly the theme, written in third
person: "Don Juan Manuel...caused it to be written in this book...."
DJM (1282-1348) concerned with the daily problems that impede one from one’s salvation; actions more important than rank or riches; hierarchical, ordered view of society: clergy, knights and laborers
Teaches through learning from the mistakes of others
Concerned with the transmission of his works, the
errors that scribes can make copying them.
Conscious of his role as author, literary creations