Medieval Spanish Literature: Ruiz, Alfonso X & Manuel

Archpriest Juan Ruiz de Hita and The Book of Good Love

The Book of Good Love is the most important work of the mester de clerecía of the 14th century. The author is known only by what he says in his work, Juan Ruiz, the Archpriest of Hita.

The Book of Good Love refers to the theme of love, both divine and worldly.

Structure

The Book of Good Love begins with a prologue that explains the intent of the work: to warn about the dangers of love.

Style

It is written mostly in cuaderna vía, except for the lyric poems, which are written in short verses.

Alfonso X: Promoting Castilian Spanish

Alfonso X promoted the use of Castilian as a common language between Christians, Jews, and Arabs.

Topics

Alfonso X aimed to record everything of political, social, economic, and scientific importance, hence the variety of his works:

• Law: Book of Kings, written to give the people clearer and more reasonable legal rules in a common language.
• Science: Treatises on astronomy and studies on the properties of gemstones.
• Games & Entertainment: The Book of Chess, Dice, and Tables, lists various forms of entertainment of the period.
• History: The king wanted to recount the history of humankind from its origins to his time. This effort resulted in two works: The General Estoria (intended to refer to all mankind) and the Crónica General (focused on Spain).

Style

Consideration should be given to syntax and lexicon.

Don Juan Manuel: Continuing Alfonso X's Legacy

Don Juan Manuel continued the work begun by his uncle, Alfonso X, and can be considered the most representative prose writer of the 14th century.

Topics

His work offers a wide variety of themes (vanity, justice, hypocrisy, etc.).

Style

His work shows his willingness to care for the style, employing a style that shows his concern for language.

Works

El Conde Lucanor

These are fictional accounts with a didactic purpose, typically having a moral. The work consists of three parts:

• A collection of enxiemplos, which expresses the moral and didactic purpose.
• A collection of one hundred proverbs.
• A treatise on the salvation of the soul.

The central part is composed of the enxiemplos. The young Count Lucanor asks Patronio for advice to succeed in the court. The count raises a number of situations, which Patronio responds to with a moral.