Reading the Exemplum Right Fixing the Meaning of el Conde Lucanor |
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Author:
| Burgoyne, Jonathan |
Series title: | North Carolina Studies in the Romance Languages and Literatures Ser. |
ISBN: | 978-0-8078-9293-0 |
Publication Date: | Jan 2007 |
Publisher: | University of North Carolina Press
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Book Format: | Paperback |
List Price: | USD $30.00 |
Book Description:
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This study situates Juan Manuel at the apex of the European literary tradition of the
exemplum, demonstrating the coercive power and authority of the illustrative tale. Following the medieval modes of reading and writing that structure Juan Manuel's text, Burgoyne uncovers a rhetorical lesson woven into the entire five-part
Conde Lucanor that lays bare the inherent ambivalence of the
exemplum as a narrative sign. Burgoyne then traces the earliest response to Juan...
More DescriptionThis study situates Juan Manuel at the apex of the European literary tradition of the exemplum, demonstrating the coercive power and authority of the illustrative tale. Following the medieval modes of reading and writing that structure Juan Manuel's text, Burgoyne uncovers a rhetorical lesson woven into the entire five-part Conde Lucanor that lays bare the inherent ambivalence of the exemplum as a narrative sign. Burgoyne then traces the earliest response to Juan Manuel's work as it can be uncovered in the layout, variance, interlineations, and marginalia found in the various late medieval and early modern manuscript witnesses of El Conde Lucanor. The study concludes by testing the hypothesis that a work's earliest audience can establish a tradition of reading that effectively prevents alternative interpretations and fixes an orthodox meaning of the text for future generations.