Warriors and Pilgrims, Sinners and Saints: Foundational Texts of Medieval Castile

3 units

We will read and discuss in this seminar a selected corpus of medieval Castilian foundational texts such as: the POEMA DE MIO CID, the PRIMERA CRÓNICA GENERAL, the Romancero poetry related to the Cid, the POEMA DE FERNÁN GONZÁLEZ, the VIDA DE SAN MILLÁN DE LA COGOLLA, selections of: the MILAGROS DE NUESTRA SEÑORA, the CODEX CALIXTINUS, the CANTIGAS DE SANTA MARIA, and the LIBRO DE BUEN AMOR. The reading of this corpus will be enriched by a selection of theoretical and critical studies that will foster a better understanding of the role these texts played at different stages in the formation of Castilian identity. Some of the issues discussed will be: the politics and poetic forms involved, at different times, in the retelling of historical facts and legends, the relations between oral and written traditions, manuscripts and clerical culture, and the changing perceptions of Christians, Moors and Jews.