Tag Archives: Region: Castile

Omar Patón, Memorial de ida y venida hasta Makka (Memoir of the journey to and from Mecca) (Castile, 15th c.)

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Omar Paton was one of the last Castilian Muslims to complete the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. He undertook the journey from his home city of Ávila (Castile), departing in 1491. Upon his return from the East, Paton depicted the experiences and emotions he lived during his long and dangerous pious expedition in his Memoir of the Journey to and from Mecca.

This bilingual unit contains a brief introduction to the Memoria with notes and a short bibliography in Spanish and English versions. Both contain an edition of an excerpt of the original aljamiado text relating Patón’s experiences in Alexandria, Damascus, and Jerusalem, accompanied by a Spanish modernization or English translation for use in classes with either language as the language of instruction.

Types of courses where the text might be useful: Spanish literature, Spanish history, Islamic studies, Mediterranean Studies

[English version] [Spanish version]

Have you used this unit in the classroom (or elsewhere)? Please share your experience in the comments!

Cantar de Mio Cid (ca. 1200)

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This is a pedagogical edition of a selection of el Cantar de Mio Cid (ca. 1200) with a short general introduction, notes, and brief bibliography. The edition and translation are by Matthew Bailey (2019).

The Cantar de Mio Cid is the only complete surviving epic poem in Castilian. It relates the quasi-historical exploits of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (d. 1099), a low-ranking Christian noble from outside Burgos who went on to become a powerful warlord and (temporary) ruler of Valencia. The poem traces the trajectory of Díaz’s disgrace at court, exile, and eventual triumph and restoration to the good graces of his king, Alfonso VI of Castile.

[Spanish version] [English version]

Have you used this unit in the classroom (or elsewhere)? Please share your experience in the comments!

Don Juan Manuel, Conde Lucanor (ca. 1335)

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Don Juan Manuel’s  Conde Lucanor (ca. 1335) is a frametale or collection of tales contained within another tale.

The fictional Count Lucanor’s advisor, Patronio, narrates to the Count a series of exemplary tales meant to teach the audience how to navigate to one’s advantage a number of political situations.

Here editors Savo and Cossío present a selection from Juan Manuel’s general prologue, along with tale number 31, about the Dean of the Cathedral of Santiago and Don Yllán, sorcerer of Toledo.

The English version has an introduction and notes in English, with the primary text in facing medieval Castilian/English translation. The Spanish version has an introduction and notes in Spanish, with the primary text in facing medieval Castilian and modern Spanish.

[Spanish version] [Engllish version]

Have you used this unit in the classroom (or elsewhere)? Please share your experience in the comments!

 

Juan Ruiz, Libro de buen amor (ca. 1335)

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Juan Ruiz may or may not be the author of the Libro de buen amor (‘Book of Good Love’) (ca. 1335), a jocular and disorganized miscellany of songs, fables, and first-person misadventures of a priest very much unlucky in love.

The English version has an introduction and notes in English, with the primary text in facing medieval Castilian/English translation. The Spanish version has an introduction and notes in Spanish, with the primary text in facing medieval Castilian and modern Spanish.

Mary-Anne Vetterling provides us with a selection of passages from the work in two parts:

Part 1: The Debate Between the Greeks and the Romans, The Story of Pitas Payas, Painter from Brittany, Fable of the Country Mouse and the City Mouse

[English version] [Spanish version]

Part 2: The Prophecies for the Son of King Alcaraz, Greed and the Fable of the Dog and his Reflection, The Properties of Money, The Encounter with the Mountain Woman (serrana), Characteristics of Small Women

[English version] [Spanish version]

Have you used these units in the classroom (or elsewhere)? Please share your experience in the comments!