Juan Rodríguez del Padrón, Triunfo de las donas / The Triumph of Ladies

The Triunfo de las donas (The Triumph of Ladies) (1438-1441) by Juan Rodríguez del Padrón (fl. 1440s), is among the very first contributions in Hispanic literature to the pro-feminine modality of the querelle des femmes, or querella de las mujeres. Composed as the preface and dedication to María of Aragón (1396-1445), queen consort of Juan II of Castile (1405-1454), for Rodríguez del Padrón\u27s Cadira de honor (The Seat of Honor), a treatise in defense of noble lineages, the Triunfo de las donas asserts the superiority of women over men, and in so doing, the supremacy of Queen María over her husband, at a time when she was actively involved in the struggle for control of the Castilian throne. Rodríguez del Padrón infuses the standard pro-feminine authorities from the querelle with irony, includes unusual examples of female virtue, and employs satire, a mode more commonly associated with misogynist diatribes, as a persuasive tool. The Triunfo de las donas is consequently both orthodox and subversive. It is also a prime example of how many texts from the debate on women, though highly conventional, are situated within specific contexts and endow the old commonplaces with new meanings

The Iberian Apollonius of Tyre

International audienceIncest, riddling, piracy, prostitution, shipwreck, Lazarus-like resuscitation, and seductive musical performances—the story of King Apollonius and his wanderings, with its riveting plot twists, has been told and retold in many languages since its late antique composition. No conventional romance hero, Apollonius proves his mettle not on the battlefield but through study, sport, music, and courtliness. The equally studious and courtly heroines of the romance—Luciana and Tarsiana, Apollonius’s wife and daughter—embark on their own adventures before the family reunites. Throughout, the king’s trials are cast as a Christian allegory of fortune.Two Castillian versions are included in The Iberian Apollonius of Tyre. The thirteenth-century poem known as The Book of Apollonius, a creative adaptation by an unknown cleric, focuses on Apollonius as a pilgrim figure and Christianizes the narrative. The fifteenth-century prose Life and History of King Apollonius, a highly literal translation of the Latin Gesta Romanorum text by an anonymous Aragonese translator, is representative of vernacular humanism and linked with the genre of the short chivalric tale.This volume presents new editions and English translations of these two complete, standalone medieval Spanish versions of the ancient legend