Libro de Buen Amor

1-4 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The fourteenth-century Spanish Libro de buen amor (Book of Good Love) is a most perplexing book. Its author, Juan Ruiz, Archpriest of Hita, promises readers that his book will be 1) a manual for salvation; 2) a manual for sexual seduction; and 3) a manual for the composition of poetry. This class will take Juan Ruiz's philosophical, comic, and literary tour de force as a central text for as an introduction to medieval studies. To understand the Libro de buen amor we will delve into the medieval history, theology, philosophy, and arts of rhetoric that produced it. We will pay special attention to the cultural crossroads of Al-Andalus, where the traditions and languages of Christianity, Judaism and Islam coexisted. In addition to key works of the Middle Ages by Augustine, Boethius, Maimonides, and Ibn Hazm of Cordoba, we will read selections from Ruiz's near contemporaries Boccaccio and Chaucer, and also representative works in the ars amatoria, fabliaux, and maqamat traditions. In order to better understand medieval texts and to hone their own writing skills, students will do in-class writing exercises that introduce some of the same techniques learned by medieval authors and readers. Students in this course will have the opportunity to register for a fourth credit digital humanities practicum and contribute to the Libro de buen amor / The Book of Good Love Online Project while learning about the research methods and opportunities of the digital humanities. Required Texts (Do not get kindle editions, hardcopies are required in class) Ruiz, Juan. Libro de buen amor. 978-8437610115 Andreas Capellanus. The Art of Courtly Love. 978-0231073059 Augustine. On Christian Teaching. 978-0199540631 Boethius. The Consolation of Philosophy. 978-0140447804 Ibn Hazm. El collar de la Paloma. 978-8420634302 Ovid. The Love Poems. 978-0199540334