Trois « villancicos » de Fray Hernando de Talavera ?

Surtz R. E. Trois « villancicos » de Fray Hernando de Talavera ?. In: Bulletin Hispanique, tome 80, n°3-4, 1978. pp. 277-285

Tan Divina Amazona : the Legend of Isabel the Catholic Queen in Luis Vélez de Guevara’s La serrana de la Vera

In La serrana de la Vera (1613), Luis Vélez de Guevara provides an updated take on the medieval serrana, a lustful and dangerous mountain woman. He sets her legendary actions during the reign of Isabel I of Castile, and the play follows the protagonist Gila’s degeneration from an impressively strong labradora to a demonic man-murderer who boasts of over two thousand kills. Critics have noted the strong affinity between Queen Isabel and the serrana Gila and have focused on the play as an exemplum for curbing female behavior that exceeds the norms imposed by a patriarchal society. While the play creates a mirroring effect whereby Gila adopts and emulates Isabel’s masculine traits, I maintain that Gila’s virile behavior and starry-eyed admiration of Isabel entail more than a warning for women; her portrayal questions and challenges Isabel’s legend as presented in writings and remembrances of the queen. At the heart of this play, beyond the ambiguous gender of Gila, is the playwright’s challenge to the official mythic construction of royal personas. Vélez de Guevara takes an already legendary serrana character from popular folklore and links her with the queen, emphasizing how Isabel’s history approximates and in many instances is indistinguishable from myth. La serrana de la Vera ends as a tragedy, thus emphasizing the untenability of Isabel’s dehumanizing legend

A risk society? Environmental hazards, risk and resilience in the later Middle Ages in Europe

Modern society is said to have restructured in reaction to contemporary hazards with the aim of improving its management of risk. This implies that pre-industrial societies were somehow fundamentally different. In this paper, we challenge that hypothesis by examining the ways in which risks associated with environmental hazards were managed and mitigated during the Middle Ages (defined here as the period from 1000 to 1550 AD). Beginning with a review of the many case studies of rapid onset disasters across Europe, we draw upon both historical and archaeological evidence and architectural assessments of structural damage for what is a pre-instrumental period. Building upon this, the second part of the paper explores individual outlooks on risk, emphasising the diversity of popular belief and the central importance of Christianity in framing attitudes. Despite their religious perspectives, we find that medieval communities were not helpless in the face of serious environmental hazards. We argue instead that the response of society to these threats was frequently complex, considered and, at times, surprisingly modern